Massachusetts Governor Targets Crisis Pregnancy Centers Already Hit by Vandalism and Threats

A new ad campaign by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy tells women to avoid what it terms "anti-abortion centers," calling them unsafe.

A TV spot by the state of Massachusetts says, "Whether you need pregnancy care or abortion care, avoid anti-abortion centers. They might look like medical clinics, but (they) try to limit your medical options if pregnant. Learn more and find care you can trust."

The governor's office says the taxpayer-funded ad campaign is supposed to help women understand their full range of options. 

There was no state investigation and no prosecutions after pregnancy resource centers were vandalized in the wake of the Dobbs decision, and pro-life workers say this new campaign puts their lives in even greater danger. 

Diane O'Toole, Executive Director of the Boston Center for Pregnancy Choices, says, "Literally, we take our lives into our hands every time that we go into work because of all of the rhetoric that are simply lies about us." 

THE BACK STORY: The Eye of the Storm: Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Massachusetts

O'Toole says claims that the centers harm women are untrue.

"There were four complaints filed in over 40 years of pregnancy resource centers being in existence. Two were filed by pro-abortion organizations, and the other two were probably not even clients because even the Attorney General's office found that they were baseless, so they didn't investigate them. So, we know for a fact that there was no legitimate reason for her as Attorney General to file a consumer advisory warning, which has remained posted on the state website," O'Toole said.

In light of the attacks and threats made against pregnancy resource centers in the state, Sam Whiting, staff attorney at the Massachusetts Family Institute, accused Governor Healy of siding with the vandals. 

"If these were abortion clinics, you better believe that the attorney general would be mustering all of their power to try to come after whoever did that vandalism," Whiting said. "If the state is really interested in giving women options, giving them all the choices possible and providing for women in need, what it should be doing is funding these centers, not attacking them."

O'Toole said, "The other side says they're all about choice. But what I say is we are the ones who provide true choice because we provide education about the types of abortion. We provide emotional support and material support to enable women and men to choose life for themselves and abundant life in Christ." 

Whiting says they're considering taking legal action against the state. 

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