Reproductive rights advocates who hailed the enactment of California’s landmark crisis pregnancy center (CPC) regulation at the start of this year now find themselves cast in the new role of enforcement agents.
The state’s Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency (FACT) Act requires, in the most basic terms, the state’s licensed CPCs to post a short notice about the availability of birth control and abortion care. Violators face civil penalties of $500.
Responsibility for enforcing the law falls squarely on the state attorney general, city attorneys, and county counsels. But some cities and counties are being sued by groups of CPCs that aim to block the law. And some attorneys for local governments are reportedly bargaining with CPCs to be dropped from the lawsuits in return for temporarily agreeing not to enforce the law.