LANSDOWNE, Va., July 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- Care Net, a network of more than 1,100 pregnancy centers, calls a summer attack by the abortion industry and its advocates, "just another attempt to shut down the competition." NARAL, an abortion activist group, has launched an effort to harm pregnancy centers' ability to advertise their services online. In addition, abortion rights proponents in Congress, Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Sen. Robert Menendez, have re-introduced a bill that would direct the Federal Trade Commission to set up new rules to regulate pregnancy center advertising.
According to NARAL, pregnancy centers are falsely advertising in online yellow page directories under the headline "abortion services." Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde responded, "Care Net pregnancy centers are consistently and thoroughly trained on proper and effective advertising practices. Deception is simply inconsistent with our Christian principles of honesty and integrity."
In addition, Delahoyde said, Care Net pregnancy centers and all those affiliated with other national affiliation organizations, such as Heartbeat International and NIFLA, must comply with the principles stated in a document called the "Commitment of Care and Competence." It states: "All of our advertising and communications are truthful and honest and accurately describe the services we offer."
When it comes to yellow page advertising, there are several possible headings under which a center may list itself. "Abortion Alternatives" is the most commonly used and appropriate heading for pregnancy centers. This heading has been created by yellow page companies with pregnancy centers in mind and usually includes an accompanying description similar to the following: "Advertisers under this heading provide assistance and information on abortion alternatives. They do not provide abortion services, or abortion referrals."
As groups like NARAL attempt to discredit pregnancy centers, many are recognizing the motivation behind the accusations. "Consider the biased source, and do your own research," Delahoyde said. "Why would pregnancy centers routinely report extremely high approval ratings from actual clients if this were really going on? In many cases, their best form of advertising is from former clients themselves."
"What's happening is that pregnancy centers have become an integral part of a community's support network for women and children," Delahoyde said. "With such holistic support available, women are empowered to choose abortion alternatives and the abortion industry simply doesn't like losing business."
