DOVER – The General Assembly passed legislation Sunday that would expand access to and
increase transparency surrounding reproductive healthcare.
Sponsored by Sen. Kyle Evans Gay and House Majority Leader Melissa Minor-Brown,
Senate Bill 300 would require crisis pregnancy centers to post signage and add disclaimers to
their marketing that clearly states their facility is not licensed by the State of Delaware and
employs no licensed medical providers.
Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities that represent themselves as legitimate reproductive health
care clinics while actually working to dissuade people from accessing abortion care and
contraception, often using dangerous misinformation.
Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion by
reversing their decision in Roe v. Wade. 23 states do not have laws in place protecting the right
to abortion. Following a subsequent wave of state restrictions on abortion, legitimate
reproductive health providers have been forced to close their doors, leaving millions of women
with nowhere else to turn.
While Delaware codified the right to abortion in 2017, crisis pregnancy centers still pose a threat
to women looking to access reproductive healthcare.
Because crisis pregnancy centers typically provide no actual medical care, they often operate
outside of state regulation and oversight, are not subject to client confidentiality laws and are not
required to disclose their association with national pro-life organizations.
“SB 300 is a crucial step towards ensuring our communities have accurate information when
seeking healthcare options. There are roughly 2,500 to 4,000 crisis pregnancy centers across the
United States, often presenting themselves as clinical centers offering medical services and
advice. However, they operate without the regulatory oversight, licensure, or credentialing
required of healthcare facilities,” said Rep. Melissa Minor Brown.
“In the past two years we have seen an extraordinary escalation in attacks on reproductive
healthcare across the country, leading to fear and desperation among those who are seeking to
exercise their right to choose. Crisis pregnancy centers are waiting for those people with open
arms, but they are not looking to offer help. They have a hidden agenda, and they push that
agenda through fear tactics and unsolicited, unsafe procedures. This legislation is essential in
ensuring that those seeking reproductive healthcare are able to find accurate information and
access safe medical services.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, public health advocates, and state
attorneys general have all issued consumer alert warnings about crisis pregnancy centers to make
the public more aware of their deceptive practices.
SB 300 would require crisis pregnancy centers to post 11-by-17-inch disclaimer signs in 80-point
type and in multiple languages at the entrance to their facilities, as well as include the same
disclaimer in print and digital advertisements. Centers that fail to post those disclaimers would
face a $500 fine for their first offense and a $2,500 fine for each subsequent offense.
Sponsored by Rep. Cyndie Romer and Sen. Gay, Senate Bill 301 would require colleges and
universities in Delaware with student health centers to offer medication for the termination of
pregnancy and emergency contraception, starting on July 1, 2025.
The medication and contraception must be provided on-site, but consultation to provide them
may be performed by a provider at the student health center or by a provider who is associated
with a university-contracted external agency.
Universities that do not have a student health center must provide formation and referral services
to students, and their health services website must provide specific information relating to
reproductive services.
Universities must also maintain confidentiality of information a student provides relating to a
request for a referral.
“For many college students, campus health centers become their primary care providers for their
four years in school. Students go to them when they are sick, when they need a referral, when
they need vaccinations – and they should be able to go to them for reproductive healthcare,” said
Rep. Cyndie Romer, member of the Health & Human Development Committee.
“Thank you to my colleagues in the General Assembly for working with me to refine this bill
and ensuring that it will help to increase access to reproductive healthcare for a critical
demographic.”
California, New York, and Massachusetts have similar requirements for certain public colleges
and universities.
“Raising my two daughters in this post-Dobbs era is nothing short of terrifying, as attacks on our
ability to make responsible and informed decisions about our own reproductive health care have
intensified dramatically across the country. Yet, Delaware continues to be a beacon of hope in the
preservation of our reproductive liberty, due to the dedication of medical professionals,
advocates, and lawmakers,” said Sen. Gay, Prime Sponsor of Senate Bill 300 and Senate 301.
“Today, with the passage of Senate Bill 300 and 301, the Delaware General Assembly has made
it abundantly clear that abortion is healthcare,” she said. “With these bills, we are expanding
access to safe and reliable medical interventions for thousands of young adults, while protecting
unsuspecting Delawareans seeking reproductive healthcare from being misled or misserved by
so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers.’ I am deeply grateful to my House colleagues for their
support, and for sending SB 300 and SB 301 to Governor John Carney for his signature.”
SB 300 and SB 301 will be enacted into law upon receiving the Governor’s signature.
