Government
New England Cities Fight Abortion Misinformation With Truth-in-Ads Laws
After Somerville, Massachusetts, passed an ordinance targeting so-called crisis pregnancy centers, other towns are mulling similar actions.
Abortion-rights demonstrators hold signs during a rally in Boston on May 6, 2022.
Photographer: Sophie Park/BloombergNew England cities are seeking to protect abortion-seekers from misleading medical advice by prohibiting so-called crisis pregnancy centers from engaging in deceptive advertising.
In March, Somerville, a small city just outside of Boston, passed an ordinance targeting the centers, which are non-medical facilities whose staff encourage pregnant people not to pursue abortions. The law, which is the first of its kind in Massachusetts, is modeled off of a state law passed in Connecticut in 2021.