San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance on October 18 prohibiting False Advertising By Limited Services Pregnancy Centers to protect women from misleading ads by anti-abortion centers. (click on the link above to see the text of the ordinance, and statements for the record from the Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign and others.) Anti-abortion organizations like First Resort have bought ads online using terms including “abortion San Franciso,” although abortions are not provided and are actively opposed. Women misled by the ads could lose precious time mistakenly visiting such falsely advertised sites, and some have reported upsetting and manipulative treatment.
Despite the attendance at the Supervisors meeting of numerous staff and supporters of First Resort, 10 of the 11 members voted “Yes” on the ordinence, originally sponsored by Supv. Malia Cohen. The measure was advanced to the full Board after a committee vote in September, with Supv. Eric Mar voting in favor.
Most of the Board members spoke briefly as they stated their vote. Supv. Scott Wiener pointed out that the fake “clinics” and their deceptive ads are part of an array of tactics by opponents of legal abortion to place deliberate obstacles in the path of women who have decided on that option. Extreme proposals to delay, obstruct and re-criminalize abortion are proliferating at the national and state-levels, calling for a concerted response by advocates for choice. Supv. Sean Elsbernd was the lone vote in opposition.
NARAL California, BACORR, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH). the Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign and scores of other organizations and thousands of residents worked to pass the ordinance.