Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has signed City Council Bill 09-0406 that fines pregnancy centers $150 per day if they don't post a sign saying they do not also provide abortions. Baltimore is the first city in the nation to target pregnancy centers in what could become a growing phenomenon.
Melinda Delahoyde, the president of Care Net, said the new law is “nonsensical,” “unwarranted,” and “discriminatory.” “It is nonsensical for the Baltimore City Council to undermine local efforts to provide free support to pregnant women in their city, but that’s exactly what they've accomplished with this legislation. It’s particularly alarming when abortions are decreasing nationwide, but increasing in the state of Maryland."
Delahoye said noted the abortion rate in the U.S. has decreased nine percent since 2000 to 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age in 2005. In 2005, Maryland had a rate of 31.5, an increase of eight percent since 1992.
“Pregnancy centers help to reduce abortions by providing free, compassionate support and practical help to women facing unplanned pregnancies. For nearly 30 years, the first center Care Net opened, the Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns, has been faithfully serving the women of Baltimore," Delahoye went on. "Not one client has ever complained about their experience there. So, why was the bill introduced, other than to satisfy the demands of an abortion lobbying group?" LifeNews
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