comments. the department of public health, honda hospital needs to cut the large amount of waste and inefficiencies so as much of the stop money can go down to the primary beneficiaries. it is kind of interesting we are dealing with a stop study, because i would like to mention two things with the word stop. first, i would like to mention whether we can stop the silence regarding my fellow employee who died mysteriously in 1999 at san francisco general hospital. he was a proud gay man, so i am wondering in the city like this town no one has heard of him. secondly, i would like to urge stop the silence what is happening at laguna honda

hospital. and in my opinion it is a real shame that people stand up a hospital have had their money mysteriously being used by the employees working. supervisor avalos: that is not quite the subject we have before us. you can use the same word, but it is not quite the same. you can continue, but keep it to the subject before us. and >> the only thing i have to say in the last 10 seconds, is where are the words of my district supervisor? supervisor avalos: think you very much. and any other member of the public that would like to comment, please come forward. cnn, we will close public comment. -- seeing none. we will take that without objection. thank you. madam clerk, if you could read item number two. >> ordinance amending the administrative code of the limited services pregnancy

centers from making false or misleading statements to the public about pregnancy-related services the centers offer or perform. supervisor avalos: think you, madam clerk. offer of the supervisors -- of the legislation is here, supervisor cohen. supervisor cohen: thank you. i first want to start by sending chiu to every member of the committee that i had a chance to meet with in favor of the legislation and opposed. in early august i introduced with the support and co- sponsorship of president chu and kim and wiener. this legislation has been supported by numerous public health, reproductive and women's health organizations and groups throughout the city and state. and the concept behind the legislation is simple. it is to prevent pregnancy

centers from purposefully and knowingly making false or misleading statements about the pregnancy-related services they provide to the public. when women face unplanned pregnancies, time is a crucial factor. if women are intentionally misled into believing that a pregnancy center provides emergency contraception -- coive, that loss of sign maybe she needs a more and is a producer -- a procedure or the option is no longer available to her. i want to make it clear that the intent of the legislation, contrary to what some may say, is not to regulate or dictate the types of services, political or religious views that a pregnancy center may provide or pass judgment on whether they should be providing abortion services. rather, this legislation has been carefully crafted to ensure

a balance between protecting the most hon. members of our communities and protecting the constitutional rights of everyone. insuring honesty in the way pregnancy centers advertise is essential to protecting the consumers rights and the health of women. as a city we have a duty to protect the most vulgar but residents of our communities, which this legislation seeks to do. colleagues, i urge you to support this legislation. thank you very much. i look forward to a robust public comment session. thank you. supervisor avalos: the queue. do you want to move right on to public comment? -- thank you. supervisor cohen: no, i dontn't. i think we have a presentation by is dr. dreydr. drier.

>> my name is dr. dry. i am a medical director of the san francisco general hospital women's options center. thank you for inviting me to speak about the health consequences of abortion delight. i became a position to reduce suffering. most of my clinical and research career has been devoted to women who need patient -- later abortions because these women are so vulnerable and the circumstances they face are so heart wrenching that i am motivated by them every day. as an ob/gyn the cares for women and also does abortions, i always encourage women to either get prenatal or abortion care to maximize their health and minimize risk. if a woman makes the choice to enter pregnancy, she should receive save and respectful care without facing additional barriers or delays. decisions about ending a

pregnancy can be complex and difficult enough without the additional struggles women face. to find a provider come get money together to pay for the abortion and bus ticket, could potentially face criticism from friends and families, and all this just to do what is necessary and right given their circumstances. why does it matter so much if abortion is delayed? on the most fundamental level, allowing abortion increases women's risks, along with adding to the distress and desperation. in general we know abortion is many times safer than delivering a baby in terms of mortality. however, despite the impressive safety of abortion, it is a fist at the time when most women have them, which is nine weeks or less after the day of when the last minstreenstrauminstrelenstd

started. even one week of the lidelay cod mean a two-day procedure instead. in one week later and maybe more expensive for one intend to raise funds for procedure. women may have to travel far distances. in some cases it could lead to a women never having an abortion at all because she may be too far along to have a provider. more commonly, in the additional unnecessary and appointments. it is also hard to arrange for additional days of child care and transportation to the clinic. of women go to unnecessary appointments, each one may delay

a woman four weeks in order to make the arrangements all over again and raise additional funds. to give you a sense of the impact on women we recently -- we frequently care for patients at san francisco general who did not a bus token or gas money to return home after their of the oceabortion or a place to stay overnight or food to pay for a two-day procedure. abortions are delayed by a number of factors, including delayed recognition of pregnancy and by difficulty making the decision to end a pregnancy. logistical issues loom as who -- huge challenges for patience, with any additional points make it much harder to obtain an abortion and make all the necessary arrangements. in short, what are patients

describe every day at the general is anything that delays the abortion increases the stress. we know increasing difficulties slow women down and therefore increase their medical risks. so i also am submitting some background research and data about the risks of abortion delay and risk factors associated with the delay. thank you for your time. supervisor avalos: ok. thank you very much. thank you for your presentation. we can go directly into public comment i have a few cards folks that would like to come out first. would you like to lead public comment? public comment will be two minutes per person. >> thank you.

supervisor avalos: we do have an overflow room. we cannot allow you to stand on the sides. that is downstairs in the north light court. i do apologize, but we need to ask you to move to find a seat in the room or go down to no. like court. >> i am going to call of six names. dr. lynette, family george, a meat everetamy everett. dr. lynette. >> my name is lynette [inaudible] . as a family physician i provide comprehensive health care for all my patients, this includes abortion for women who decide to

end a pregnancy. i have dealt with many women who came to me when they found that they were pregnant. the last thing my patients need is anti-abortion clinics masquerading as health clinics. i was recently practicing in new york city in treated michelle, a 16-year-old who came to my clinic for an abortion. she came into the room and entered quietly. this is not unusual for women going through a difficult time. as i began to counsel her about what to expect she started to sob. we sat down together and discuss the pros and cons of her decision. she was not ready to be a mother. she was not ready to be pregnant. she wanted to go to college. she felt suicidal. her mother was opposed to abortion. she still concluded this was the right choice for her. on the way to the clinic, however, she saw a nearby building with a large sign with of qestiquestion -- unintended

pregnancy? instead of asking her history, they asked her about her relationship with god. they told her ending the pregnancy was murder. and she followed through with the procedure, the baby would feel pay. they showed her pictures of fetuses that were much later in pregnancy. she said to me, i cannot get these pictures out of my head. i expected her to say she changed her mind and wanted to leave. instead she think before being there in determined that she wanted to go ahead. she considered all her options and chose abortion. she did not want to be a mother right then, she wanted to continue her education. despite the propaganda, she chose to end her pregnancy. >> libby benedict , so let's

get everyone in mind. >> good morning. i am present on behalf of fishes and for reproductive health and choice. we are a doctor-led national advocacy organization with approximately 30,000 members. we use evident-based research. we proudly -- believe it reproductive choice for everyone. crisis pregnancy centers are not only misleading, but they also dispense false and medically inaccurate information to women. it is imperative the medical community speak out on this up -- the deceptive practices and continue to keep women say. on behalf of those who serve the sexual health of women, teams, and families, we urge you to vote yes on the pregnancy information disclosure and protection ordinance. >> thank you. sarah ladue. >> thank you, supervisors.

i am are residents of san francisco and the public affairs manager at your toward california. before considering the various abortion procedures, we recommend woman obtained an ultrasound to determine if the pregnancy is viable. and our ultrasound can pick up a non-viable pregnancy, you might not need an abortion. studies reveal 15% to 20% will end in miscarriage. that is right, first resort once as to promote that you do not need an abortion because your discretion to miscarry anyway. and when a woman is making an informed medical decision, she should be able to get her information from a doctor, not someone who has a secret agenda. of all bnot all are tehe same.

all this bill will do is ensure crisis pregnancy centers are held accountable for misleading advertising they used to draw women to their offices. when a woman is pregnant she is a short window of time in which she makes very important decisions. if she chooses to continue the pregnancy, she needs to start receiving prenatal care from a doctor. if she chooses to terminate the pregnancy, her options may vary. in either case, she should not be forced to delay -- to make her decision simply because she goes to an office that does not offer a medical choices. i want to read one more article. they come and they think we're one of the many abortion clinics in miami. when they leave, they leave with

jesus in the heart and a baby in the womb. >> pamela george. >> my name is pamela george, and i support the ordinance. i would like to read to you a few reviews of the "san francisco cedc, call a first re of first resort." "the wear of people who have won one yelp review and give this place five stars. after going with a friend i can tell you they absolutely do not perform pregnancy terminations here. in fact, they tried to talk my friend into having a baby. when we call to make an

appointment they made it sound as though they provided plan b here, when in fact they do night. once we arrived and talk with a counselor it was clear this place has a religious undertones message in later found out it was funded by a religious organization. we ended up at the ucfs and from there, planned parenthood. please do not come here if you are seeking a choice. good luck to all those women out there when faced with this situation." my second quote is "number one, this is not a medical facility. they cannot give you medical care here. there are no licensed physicians here, no matter what they say. they called themselves nurses. what do they do? the one that trains you to wipe old people's passes.

they are religiously funded. if you come here, they will try to manipulate you. i repeat, they offer no medical care here. do not believe you're in the care of a position. do not be misled." >> amy everett. >> good morning, thank you. i am the state director of choice for california, and we represent thousands of women. i am here to express strong support of the members an organization for the pregnancy information and protection ordinance. this morning we deliver more than 300 letters from san francisco residents to each supervisor. in addition to the more than 1500 that were delivered last thursday. for several years now my office has conducted research on the crisis pregnancy centers and the harm they do to women who are

facing unplanned pregnancies. our report found that many intentionally mislead and coerced women who go to them seeking comprehensive pregnancy- related services. some of them have been reported to you shame or convince from mobile women that carrying the pregnancies to term will help them to atone for living a loose or a responsible life style. this ordinance only applies to a pregnancy center that engages in deceptive and misleading advertising. if they're not misleading women, they have nothing to worry about. if they really believe women deserve the full and truthful information about the medical options, than they should have no objection to this ordinance. today you will likely your claims that they have helped underserved women who need support during their pregnancy.

we support improving services for women who choose to continue their pregnancies, and we think americans are free on this point. many misinform women about the health care options. we believe we can help expectant mothers most when we do not mislead them and give them full comprehensive medical advice. supervisors, i strongly urge you to vote yes. thank you. >> kay vesalesa. next up, tanya smith, laura hornberger and paul solis. supervisor elsbernd: supervisor avalos avalos: for those that do speak, i would ask that you clear the room for those that would like to speak. thank you.

>> i am with the symphysis the women's political committee, an organization i am very proud to say supports this measure and ordnance 100 percent. at the young woman who has been in the position to counsel my friends who have gone through this serious process, i have to say, no woman makes the decisions to end a pregnancy lightly, and it is not something that anyone takes lightly in this case. any delay in obtaining services can cost money, resources, and time that she simply does not have. and they seek to effectively take away a woman's choice completely by taking a part-time and by giving her false information. i am fully in support of in the ordinance that makes them tell the truth to all women, especially young womwomen who do not have any of their place to

go. thank you for putting this forward. i think this is tremendously important, and i support this 100 percent. >> -- >> can you state your name for the record. >> chastity ronan, the director of a family resource center. we offer pregnancy tests and information on all the women's options when she is faced with an unplanned pregnancy, but we do not stop there. we work to improve the quality of life for all people. we have a positive impact on families by helping them raise their children in the city. any parent is welcome to receive supplies that are needed for raising children. attend our eight freak class's and benefit from the case management we provide.

the services are offered to families regardless of whether they had family -- a pregnancy tests at our center. this ordinance limits our opportunities to inform the community about our services. section 93.4 of the ordinance claims that and the mission -- that an omission could be misleading or false. our center tells our clients we offer an extensive list of free supplies to help them raise their children. many people come to us asking for free chtoys. who determines if they are needed to raise children? i would tell you can raise healthy, intelligent children without toys. item two indicates that a commission similar to this could cause a pregnancy center to be forced to poorest -- cosines on

their premises stated what services are not available. --i would be sad to see our city become embroiled in similar legal battles only to be found unconstitutional. in your video on sfgov web sites, you encourage people to exercise and lead a healthy lifestyles -- all of those things are taught in the class is we offer. -- classes we offer. supervisor avalos: think you. -- thank you. >> a reminder to speak into the microphone. the next person is katie. please state your name for the

record. >> my name is katie hoval. i am 24-weeks pregnant today. i was a confused and honorable woman at the point of finding out i was pregnant. i did call my normal health care provider i had been seeing for the past eight years and been told that if i -- i have no idea what i wanted to do at all. i was told if i wanted to keep my baby, that it would not help the it would not give me a pregnancy test. therefore i went on line and put in i am pregnant san francisco, what do why do? -- what do i do? i called and made an appointment because i know time is of the essence. when i went in and took my test,

i was pregnant. they sat down with me and offered me my options. and i sat there with my partner and decided that i was going to keep my pregnancy and go through with it, but it was not an easy decision because it was unexpected. just because it was unexpected did not mean it was on wanted personally. they walked me through options of both sides of the story. and they told me what would happen if i wanted to terminate. i did not know what would happen if i decided to go through with it. if you do not have insurance, you cannot see a doctor. it took me two months to get insurance. i would like to speak for the other side of things that this is scary when you decide to keep it. thank you. supervisor avalos: did you say

what cpc you went to? >> i went to first resort. >> tanya smith. >> good morning, supervisors. i have the pleasure of meeting women who come to a first resort for counseling and medical care. it is my imperative to make sure they feel respected, met with compassion, and are given information to help them make a fully-informed decision regarding their pregnancy. our clients are asked what their objections are and concerns are. and it is our every effort to make sure we provide the resources and referrals that will support them in their decision-making process. that might include making decisions regarding housing,

decisions for domestic violence, even taking people who have experienced sexual trauma to the trauma center. it also includes other referrals, including those to mental health, and most importantly, to help them receive that medical insurance. in doing so, we are also inclined to invite a client's partner, a boyfriend, or has been into the counseling session if we think that will help is closed -- facilitate communications between the client and partner. we believe we develop a rapport with them. we find we make no attempt to delay or persuade a client in any way in their decision. it is their decision. to do that would be opposed of what our goal is, to help them make a fully informed decision.

97 percent of the women who were surveyed coming in your clinic stated they never felt pressured. we believe that percentage speaks to the fact that we do use an unbiased approach. we work hard to make sure every woman greasy receives the support she needs and we used research-based material in the counseling room that is produced and distributed by rep little -- reputable helpealth agencies suh as the center for disease control, march of dimes, and a non-profit secular health education resources. >> thank you. just as a reminder, you hear a soft beep that reminds you have 30 seconds. that will go off at one minute 30 seconds. allow your time will go