A bill that would have required so-called limited service centers (which offer everything from religious counseling to religious pregnancy consultations) to tell the truth to their patients died without reaching a vote in the state senate today. The centers are currently allowed to dispense pro-life myths, such as informing women that abortion is linked to higher breast cancer rates and that AIDS races through condoms like rice through a tennis racket.
“It’s unfortunate for us and for all the women in Washington State,” said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Kristen Glundberg-Prosser. There are at least 46 of these clinics operating in Washington.
The bill had enough sponsors to start a soccer team (10). According to Glundberg-Prosser, amendments were even offered to strike the section on medical accuracy but in the end there weren’t enough votes to pass advance to the full senate. The cutoff date for bills to pass out of the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee is tomorrow; however, the committee doesn't meet tomorrow.
The bill would have held limited service pregnancy centers accountable for providing patients with reproductive health information that is "medically and scientifically accurate," as well as immediately disclosing that they don’t offer medical care for pregnant women, comprehensive birth control services, or referrals for abortion.