title: Fake abortion clinics: the threat to reproductive self-determination.
abstract: The establishment of "fake abortion clinics" poses a great threat to women's ability to make free and informed procreative decisions. Such clinics intentionally deceive pregnant women into believing that they provide a full range of women's health services when, in reality, they provide only a pregnancy test, accompanied by intense anti-abortion propaganda. Because fake abortion clinics threaten women's interests in "privacy" and decisional autonomy, state attorneys general should challenge them under deceptive business practice statutes. Successful challenges can be brought without violating anti-abortion groups' First Amendment rights.
authors.affiliation: United States District Court, Southern District of New York.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mertus
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal; D000329:Advertising; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003376:Counseling; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D005607:Fraud / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011406:Propaganda; D014481:United States; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence