Directs the consumer protection division to conduct a study on limited service pregnancy center entities and to provide a report with its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the governor and legislature.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A11150
SPONSOR: Rules (Glick) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to direct the consumer protection division to conduct a study on
limited service pregnancy center entities
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To conduct a study on limited service pregnancy center entities.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one: Directs the consumer protection division to conduct a study
on "limited service pregnancy centers" whose primary purpose is to
provide pregnancy-related services and who advertise or solicit patro-
nage based on offers to provide pregnancy tests, prenatal sonograms, and
pregnancy option counseling that do not provide or refer for abortion,
prenatal care or emergency contraception.
Section two: This act shall take effect immediately EXISTING LAW: New
Bill.
JUSTIFICATION:
Limited service pregnancy centers, commonly referred to as "crisis preg-
nancy centers" are deceptive clinics that do not provide comprehensive
reproductive health care. Such clinics attract pregnant people by offer-
ing free or low-cost services such as ultrasounds and counselling. At
crisis pregnancy centers, pregnant people are misled, shamed, and pres-
sured to not seek prenatal care or abortion services. Nationwide,
crisis pregnancy centers vastly outnumber clinics that offer comprehen-
sive reproductive health care services, but the true scope of their
prevalence in New York is unknown. Due to the deceptive nature of their
practices, the potential harm that they can cause, and the barriers that
they introduce to the seeking and receiving of a full range of reproduc-
tive health services, data needs to be collected statewide to ensure
that the effects of such clinics on New Yorkers' reproductive health if
fully understood.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
11150
IN ASSEMBLY
June 11, 2018
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Glick) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to direct the consumer protection division to conduct a study on
limited service pregnancy center entities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. 1. The consumer protection division shall conduct a study
2 on "limited service pregnancy center" entities whose primary purpose is
3 to provide pregnancy-related services and who advertise or solicit
4 patronage based on offers to provide pregnancy tests, prenatal sonogra-
5 phy, and counseling about pregnancy options. Such limited service preg-
6 nancy centers shall not include entities that provide or refer for
7 abortions, prenatal care or emergency contraception.
8 2. Such study shall require the division to collect data from such
9 entities and other relevant sources which shall include but shall not be
10 limited to:
11 (a) What state funds, if any, are directly or indirectly allocated to
12 limited service pregnancy centers in the state and the names and
13 locations of such organizations receiving state funding.
14 (b) What federal funds, if any, are directly or indirectly allocated
15 to limited service pregnancy centers in the state and the names and
16 locations of such organizations receiving federal funding.
17 (c) Whether the limited service pregnancy centers in the state are
18 part of larger umbrella organizations that operate limited service preg-
19 nancy centers across the country.
20 (d) The number of women who access services at limited service preg-
21 nancy centers and the geographic regions in which each woman accessing
22 the services of limited service pregnancy center resides.
23 (e) What services are provided by limited service pregnancy centers.
24 (f) Whether limited service pregnancy centers hold themselves out to
25 the public, either in person, through community participation or events
26 or through their advertising, websites or social media, as entities in
27 which comprehensive, all-options pregnancy counseling is provided.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16106-01-8
A. 11150 2
1 (g) Whether misleading or medically or factually inaccurate informa-
2 tion is given to people seeking services at limited service pregnancy
3 centers, including but not limited to misinformation about: the alleged
4 links between abortions and breast cancer, the effects of abortion on
5 future fertility and the effects of abortion on mental health.
6 (h) If relevant, whether limited service pregnancy centers disclose
7 their religious affiliation.
8 (i) Whether any limited service pregnancy center informs people seek-
9 ing services whether or not it has any medical professionals on the
10 premises or on its staff.
11 (j) The number of state-certified medical professionals on staff or
12 providing regular volunteer medical services at limited service pregnan-
13 cy centers.
14 (k) Whether any limited service pregnancy center informs its people
15 seeking services that it does not provide or refer for comprehensive
16 reproductive health care services, such as abortions, contraception or
17 prenatal care.
18 (l) Whether any limited service pregnancy centers are providing ultra-
19 sound examinations, the medical licensure of the person performing and
20 interpreting the examinations if any, and how they disclose the results
21 of the examinations to clients.
22 (m) Whether limited service pregnancy centers collect information that
23 would be considered confidential in a licensed medical facility forma-
24 tion, how they handle medical records, and whether the medical records
25 are in compliance with federal and state requirements governing medical
26 privacy.
27 3. The consumer protection division shall make a report to the gover-
28 nor and the legislature of its findings, conclusions and recommendations
29 no later than one year after the effective date of this act and shall
30 submit with this report such legislative proposals as it deems necessary
31 to implement its recommendations.
32 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
