Bush, Congress Spending Taxpayer Dollars to Mislead Women

Washington, DC – NARAL Pro-Choice America is renewing its call for Congress to step in and stop the Bush administration from funneling millions of taxpayer dollars into so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" (CPCs) that, as a new congressional report documents, are blatantly misleading women regarding medical issues.

Today Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), ranking member of the House Government Reform Committee, released the investigative report, False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers. The report outlines how 20 CPCs in 15 states that received federal tax dollars misled or provided false information to investigators who called asking about their services.

"Anyone looking for health-care information or services deserves full, unbiased, and relevant facts. A woman facing an unintended pregnancy is no different," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "I applaud Rep. Waxman for his continued support of honesty, freedom, and privacy. His report exposes how the Bush administration is using taxpayers' dollars to mislead women in this country about their reproductive-health care. CPCs spend taxpayer dollars to spread deceptive and false information. They are putting political propaganda before women's health and it's time for Congress to step in and hold these fake 'clinics' accountable."

According to the report, CPCs have received more than $30 million in federal funding since 2001, while additional "capacity-building" grants have been distributed to 25 centers. Investigators found that 87 percent of these centers give women misleading information, including spreading the myths that choosing abortion increases the risk of breast cancer and sterility – each of which has been debunked by expert scientists, doctors, and breast cancer awareness advocates.

NARAL Pro-Choice America and its affiliate network have long worked to expose the deceptive practices used by these false clinics. Earlier this year, NARAL Pro-Choice America endorsed a bill introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) that would empower the Federal Trade Commission to ensure that CPCs don't use deceptive or intimidating advertising practices to lure unsuspecting women into their storefronts.

For additional information on CPCs, please visit NARAL Pro-Choice America's website. The complete text of the Waxman report can be found here.

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032