A consortium of pregnancy centers in New Jersey has filed suit against the state for a “misinformed and unwarranted assault” on their credibility.
In December of 2022, the New Jersey Attorney General issued a consumer alert, claiming that pregnancy centers use deceptive advertising and marketing tactics.
Pregnancy centers accused of deceptive advertising
“Your right to an abortion is protected in New Jersey,” the consumer alert stated. “You have the right to truthful, unbiased, and medically accurate health information about abortion care and where to access such care.”
Immediately after the alert was issued, Eileen S. Den Bleyker, Esq., an attorney representing the consortium, requested copies of the documents supporting the claims. She continued to pursue these records for over four months, to no avail, and eventually filed a Verified Complaint and Order to Show Cause. The first hearing was held on April 25 in the Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division.
“I believe the Consumer Alert is a misinformed and unwarranted assault on the charitable work these nonprofit organizations have provided to women and families in our community for more than 30 years,” said Den Bleyker, representing the consortium. “To date, the State has failed to produce any complaints against pregnancy centers that led to the issuance of the Alert nor any documentation that pregnancy centers in New Jersey are operating with anything less than best practices.”
The consumer alert issued in New Jersey is just one of countless examples of how pregnancy centers accused of deceptive advertising have faced ongoing scrutiny, condemnation, and attacks, especially in the wake of last year’s Roe. V. Wade Supreme Court decision.
In 2022, pro-abortion states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Minnesota issued consumer alerts regarding pregnancy centers. On a national level, politicians like Elizabeth Warren have proposed legislation, issued threatening letters, and have even called for shuttering pregnancy resource centers.
A 2022 CareCast Podcast addressed the accusations levied against pregnancy centers by Elizabeth Warren and other politicians and government officials. Roland Warren, the CEO and President of Care Net, said the argument of pregnancy centers being deceptive falls apart when its viewed logically. He noted that women seeking abortions are not as gullible as pro-abortion advocates claim they are and presented two compelling statistics: 1) half of women who get abortions have already had at least one, and 2) Fifty-nine percent of women who have abortions are mothers.
The CareCast segment also highlighted the vast disparity in marketing budgets between Planned Parenthood and pregnancy centers, and how abortion is promoted heavily by the mainstream media, the White House, celebrities, and even in pop culture.
Roland Warren said it is ironic””considering the accusations against pregnancy centers””that the real deception is coming from culture when it comes to abortion.
“We (pregnancy centers) are not leading people into darkness, we are leading them into light,” he said. “When you have been in darkness and the light comes on you can see something for what it truly is. That’s what pregnancy centers do. And that’s the reason Elizabeth Warren, and others like her, want to, from a biblical construct, put a basket over this light.”
“They want people to continue to be in darkness in terms of how they are looking at this issue. They don’t want the truth of what is happening to actually be promoted in the public [square].”
That truth includes the compassion, hope, and free help provided by pregnancy centers in their communities each year. The consortium of New Jersey pregnancy centers that filed suit against the state provide free services and ongoing support valued at more than $3 million to more than 35,000 women, men, youth, and families every year. This includes almost $2 million in free medical services provided by licensed and credentialed medical professionals. On a national level, the 1,200 Care Net affiliates have provided nearly $200 million in free medical, material, educational, and emotional support services over the last three years.
In the CareCast segment, Vincent DiCaro, Chief Outreach Officer at Care Net, implored listeners to continue to support pregnancy centers with their time, talent, and treasure, especially in such a hostile climate.
“Pregnancy centers need us more now than ever,” he said. “And those women and men in our nation who are making pregnancy decisions need those pregnancy centers more than ever.”