Sponsors (87)
The bill strengthens federal consumer protections against deceptive reproductive-health advertising and increases oversight and transparency, but it also centralizes enforcement and risks significant compliance costs and penalties for nonprofits and small providers, potentially reducing service access and sparking legal and political conflicts.
People seeking reproductive health care (including women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming individuals) will be less likely to encounter misleading advertising or claims about services and licensed medical personnel, improving their ability to find safe, accurate care.
Federal enforcement (FTC rulemaking and exclusive litigation authority) creates a clear path to stop deceptive practices and obtain restitution or injunctions for harmed consumers, increasing consumer protection nationwide.
People seeking reproductive health care will receive more honest, accurate information when accessing services, improving informed decision-making.
Nonprofit organizations and small providers could face very large civil penalties (minimums like $100,000 or a share of parent revenue) for each violation, risking severe financial harm or closure and reducing service availability.
Expanded obligations for accurate information, reporting, and privacy requirements could impose significant compliance costs on small providers and nonprofits, straining limited budgets and administrative capacity.
Centralizing enforcement and rulemaking at the federal level (FTC) may limit states' flexibility to enforce local rules and could lead to aggressive nationwide actions that impose uniform standards or legal pressures on diverse providers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits deceptive advertising about abortion, contraception, or access to licensed medical staff and empowers the FTC to enforce civil penalties, including against nonprofits.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Suzanne Bonamici · Last progress January 31, 2025
Makes it illegal to use deceptive advertising about reproductive health services — including falsely claiming to provide abortion or contraception, referrals for them, or access to licensed medical staff — and gives the Federal Trade Commission broad authority to write rules and enforce penalties. The FTC may seek injunctions, civil penalties, restitution, and other relief in federal court, and the law explicitly covers nonprofit organizations and creates a high civil-penalty formula tied to either a flat amount or a percentage of an entity’s prior-year revenue. It also directs the FTC to report to Congress every two years on enforcement actions and rules. The law is framed to address misleading practices by some crisis pregnancy centers and other actors that the bill says obstruct timely access to reproductive care, especially for low-income people and racial and ethnic minorities.