Mo. House Approves Bill To Ban Regulating CPCs Speech, Advertising
May 10, 2012 — The Missouri House on Tuesday gave first round approval to a bill (HB 1357) that would prohibit local governments from passing laws aimed to protect consumers by restricting the statements of crisis pregnancy centers, AP/KAIT reports.
The bill notes that state laws must protect the free speech of groups that counsel women to continue their pregnancies. Proponents of the bill say cities in other states have required CPCs to include specific information in advertisements, such as whether they provide abortion care. Opponents say the bill would let the organizations provide potentially false information.
The House must conduct a second vote on the bill and the Senate must also pass it before the legislative session ends on May 18 (AP/KAIT, 5/9).
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Repro Health Watch — an exciting new edition of the Women’s Health Policy Report — compiles and distributes media coverage of proposed and enacted state laws and ballot initiatives affecting women's access to comprehensive reproductive health care, as well as litigation in response to those provisions.
