Crisis Pregnancy Center Exec. Director Slams New City Regulations

Ed. note: The following is the complete statement released by Nicole Baker Bernacet, the executive director of Boro Pregnancy Counseling Services in Bayside, sent shortly after the City Council approved a bill, 39-9, requiring centers like hers to disclose whether or not they provided abortions, among other family planning services.

“We strongly opposed the New York City Council action today that will ultimately hurt the women and families experiencing an unexpected pregnancy in NYC. BPCC is a registered 501(c)3 organization in New York State and is committed to serving New York City with compassionate integrity by meeting the felt needs of those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. We offer self-administered pregnancy tests, options counseling, parenting classes, and material assistance to men and women from Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Nassau County free of charge. We are pleased to receive referrals from many city agencies and hospitals including Brookdale Hospital, New York Presbyterian Hospital, The Coalition for the Homeless, and Elmhurst Hospital. We are a privately funded organization that receives no monetary contributions from the city, state, or federal governments.

We offer our services free of charge, regardless of immigration status, and have had the privilege of serving many clients that had no hope and no family in the U.S. on which to rely. We have given of our time and resources to encourage those that are downtrodden because of homelessness, joblessness and language barriers that inhibit many immigrants from receiving much-needed social services. We actively invest in our community by providing much needed material assistance, such as diapers and toiletries, maternity and baby clothes, and limited baby equipment to those in our Parent Empowerment Program. We network with other city agencies to meet the housing and employment needs of our clients.

We are committed to encouraging our clients to make an informed choice in regards to their unplanned pregnancy. We believe that only the client can make the best decision for their life and seek to offer them medically accurate, emotionally sensitive information. We believe that the well-educated individual is better equipped to make a positive decision."

We are deeply trouble [sic] by the passing of this bill as it is founded on the assumption that Pregnancy Resource Centers are deceptive and out to manipulate women, which is blatantly untrue of BPCC.

BPCC has always informed its clients to the services available without any intent to mislead or misrepresent itself. BPCC has over a 95 percent satisfaction rate with its clients and has never had a complaint levied against it. We fear that women and families in need will not be able to obtain the services they need to build healthy families because of the restrictions placed upon us by this bill."