Why I Review Fake Clinics

This post written by Ceara Kornblum, a college student in Oregon.

I was lucky to be raised in a feminist household where my sexual decisions and body autonomy were respected. I firsthand know how powerful those can make a person. So when I learned of crisis pregnancy centers and their practices I had to do something.

Crisis pregnancy centers are the antithesis of healthcare and empowerment. I know this first hand because I go to these centers, inspired to review them for the #ExposeFakeClinics campaign. Every time, I am struck by how little they care about facts or one’s best well-being. The first center I went with immediately tried to convert me to Christianity, completely disrespecting my spirituality in the process, before telling me my phobia of pregnancy should not be a worry and that I mustn’t have an abortion. Another I went to told me that abortion would give me something resembling PTSD. I know that isn’t true because I actually live with PTSD. The told me a condom was 60% effective, and tried to shame me for having sex.

I visit clinics to tell the truth about them to people who are vulnerable and need real health care.

Hopefully, this will inspire more people to take up the task of doing this work. Only by showing the truth about these clinics can we inspire action against the emotional manipulation and health violations they regularly engage in.

Pink Angels & Fake Clinics in Chicagoland

We'd like to introduce Coalition Member Group Friends Who March!

Friends Who March is an Activist group from Chicagoland founded after the Women’s March by Jax West. Their primary purpose? #GetActiveAndTakeAction!   FWM take to the streets to support Choice, Immigrants, Criminal Justice Reform, Wrongfully Accused, LGBT rights because everyone should be free to live as they wish.

While clinic escorting during 40 Days for Life, Jax made a gigantic pair of pink angel wings to block the signs of 40 Days for Life harassers from clients...and a new subgroup, the “Pink Angels,” was born.

The Pink Angels have done a variety of actions to stand for Choice.  They have worked as Escorts at various clinics. Stood in silence as Handmaids. Silently stood at a train station for a Pink Chill in support of Planned Parenthood.  Chalked sidewalk messages at night in front of clinics, in anticipation of morning protesters. They also call and review fake clinics.

The Pink Angels have a BIG BAD in their midst. State Representative Peter Breen aka Rep. Baby Parts, represents FWM’s district. Rep. Peter Breen is with the Thomas Moore Society & is THE lawyer for the lyin’ anti’s who made the fake Planned Parenthood Baby Parts videos. Breen is with Knights of Columbus, funders of a local deceptive fake clinic that opened up next door to a real provider. The Pink Angels would love your involvement in an October Action at the fake clinic.

Recently Friends Who March went north to meet up with Abortion Access Front to take part in their fake clinic action in Milwaukee. It was a blast! FWM are huge supporters of everything AAF does. 

We invite folks to join us! It’s your body.  It’s your choice.  Fight for it.

Upcoming Events:

• Fake Clinic Action in October/Early November: Email FriendsWhoMarch@gmail.com if you have an idea or would like to be involved in our SHEnanigans.

• Join FWM at our Red Carpet Viewing Party of their 2018 Golden Probe Awards that will be on October 20th. October 20th Viewing Party of the Golden Probe Awards Friends Who March is going all out for this one. There will even be a Fashion Police team there to talk to people as they enter the event and then discuss all the outfits at the after show.

Follow on Social Media! 

Friends Who March

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsWhoMarch/

Twitter @FriendsWhoMarch

The Pink Angels

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PinkAngelsIL/

Messageboard

http://friendswhomarch.boards.net/

Will Protest for Soda; Fake Women's Health Center Rewards Demonstrators

By Emily Loen, Abortion Access Hackathon

Fake women's health centers like to keep up appearances. To the general public, they claim to be a safe, neutral place to talk over an unplanned pregnancy. Privately, they deceive pregnant people. Once inside, clients are met with the lie that abortion causes cancer, clients are pressured to carry to term, and shamed.

Most fake women's health centers do not want to be associated with passive aggressive, noxious abortion clinic protesters.

When asked about their close ties, one Sacramento based center openly lied. This kind of deception is not only dishonorable, but dangerous to clients who expect to receive unbiased medical advice. 

 40 Days of Harassholes

Valentine's Day begins the biannual "40 Days for Life" harassment campaign by protesters standing on street corners pleading with low-income women heading into the doctor's office. 40 Days for Life is a national organizing body that directs local chapters to abortion clinic sidewalks. CA chapters boast protests up and down the state. 

As California prepares for the Supreme Court case determining its right to regulate pregnancy health care services, Sacramento grapples with a messy trifecta of protesters, fake women's health centers, and hidden agendas. 

Daily protesters dot the sidewalks of Sacramento's known abortion providers. Holding signs with the phone number for the Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic, a nearby center that tries to dissuade people from abortion, they actively try to speak to anyone walking in. The protesters show off caricatures of baby dolls. They hope to send a person to the SVP Clinic for which they advertise.

SVP welcomes pregnant people, and publicly claims to have no agenda. Yet, SVP lies to pregnant people, saying abortion leads to breast cancer (not true, according to the American Cancer Society), refuses to refer people to all-options providers, and refuses to dispense preventive birth control. 

A protester holds a sign with Sac Valley Pregnancy Clinic's phone number, as they gather in the street across from a now closed Sacramento health clinic. The former all options clinic provided free adoption services, pre-natal referrals, abortion services and cancer screenings. Source: 40 Days for Life Sacramento Facebook page

Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic Claims No Protester Connection, Despite Proof

Here's where things don't add up. Marie Leatherby, Executive Director of the Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic, is part of the family that runs the Leatherby's Family Creamery, a local ice cream shop. They regularly hold fundraisers for the Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic (video) and its parent organization, the Sacramento Life Center. 

The Sacramento Life Center streamed the live fundraiser from Leatherby's Family Creamery. Source: Sacramento Life Center Facebook page 

Leatherby's ALSO privately rewards abortion clinic protesters. The Sacramento "40 Days for Life" email newsletter incentivizes protests with Leatherby's commitment of free sodas if you tell staff you've been on the sidewalks. 

When brought to her attention, Executive Director Marie Leatherby lied through her teeth, writing in a Sacramento News and Review Op-Ed, " The strange misnomer that my family’s long-respected ice cream business somehow has a policy offering free sodas to pro-life protesters is also inaccurate."  Yet, here is the email, dated April 3, 2011. 

Fake Women's Health Centers are Protester Funded

Protesters donate to the Sacramento Valley Life Center. 

Susan Money, donor "Herald of Life $1,500-$2,500"

Susan Money's photo is the profile photo of Sacramento's 40 Days for Life campaign. She has been on the sidewalks since at least 2012. 

Fake Women's Health Centers Endorse Sidewalk Harassment

“
The mere fact that there is one person praying in front of clinic can ‘distract people’ who otherwise would have driven up for their appointment...These are people who were gonna drive in, but drove away just because there was soemone in front of the clinic praying.”

— Steve Patton, "Witnessing to Hope" Sidewalk Training with Wynette Sills of 40 Days for Life and Debora Heinrichs of Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic

Witnessing to Hope 2013 was a "sidewalk training" evening for folks interested in demonstrating at abortion clinics. Wynette Sills, leader of protest group "40 Days for Life Sacramento" and Debora Heinrichs, hotline co-ordinator with Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic, offered tips and tools on how to protest abortion providers. Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic Executive Director Marie Leatherby maintains there is no connection to protesters. 

Video 1

“I’ve been doing this for years.”

— Wynette Sills, 40 Days for Life Sacramento on sidewalk protesting

Video 2

““My name is Debora Heinrichs and I’m the co-ordinator of the hotline for the Pregnancy Life Center. “ ”

— Debora Heinrichs, Sacramento Life Center (parent company of Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic)

Video 3

By publicly denying the strong private connection to protesters, the Sacramento Valley Life Center and Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic continue to deceive the public. 

Though the Sacramento Valley Pregnancy Clinic claims most of their clients are, "not looking for an abortion provider, " they aren't taking any chances.

Abortion Providers Offer So Much More Than Abortions

Michelle Oberman's opinion piece, "The Woman the Abortion War Leaves Out," published 1/11/18 in the New York Times, shares her interpretation of fake clinics' work with "abortion-minded women." Oberman, a self professed pro-choice Californian, claims public opinion would pit her against fake clinics, yet she felt affection for them. Oberman suggests that fake clinics fill the gaps for low-income pregnant people who want to parent because abortion providers just do abortions.

In short, she's wrong. 

Abortion providers provide so much more. Clinics offer care for the life cycle of reproductive years, from pregnancy tests, birth control to breast cancer screenings. When it comes to insurance, nearly every abortion provider signs pregnant people up for Medi-Cal on the spot. By assuming eligibility, clinics can refer clients to ob/gyns to prepare for birth or adoption. Or, they can prepare for abortion services. Additionally, clinics refer undecided clients to All-Options, a judgment free, toll-free talkline for people facing an unexpected pregnancy. 

Northern California clinic Women's Health Specialists has provided abortion, pre-natal referrals and free adoption services for over 30 YEARS! With clinics in Chico, Grass Valley and Redding, they serve low-income folks in rural counties. 

Women's Health Specialists prints a "Survival Guide," distributed to clients and community groups. A pocket sized guide to food, housing, parenting, childcare, and employment, the guide served as a navigator for people who need help but aren't sure where to turn.

Clinics are dialed into the community.  The Nurse-Family Partnership, for example, provided a free nurse mentor to first time moms. Their materials were given to the clinic's clients who chose to parent, and posted in the waiting rooms. Family Resource Centers throughout the county offer free parenting classes, housing resources, and community activities. Women's Health Specialists Sacramento had satellite clinics in two area Family Resource Center.

California has a host of free, county based programs for women who would like to parent but need the financial or emotional support to make it a reality. Fake clinics, who do not trust clients to make their own choices, are not the only pipeline to birth, adoption or parenting success. 

If Oberman had explored the abortion providers in her own home state, she would know the vast array of medical and wrap around services, connections and community that abortion providers intentionally foster to support their clients, no matter what they choose. 

What NPR Missed...

Today marks the 9th day of the #ExposeFakeClinics nationwide campaign to write honest, real reviews of crisis pregnancy centers. Created by Abortion Access Front and the Abortion Access Hackathon, over forty medical clinics, reproductive health advocacy groups, and volunteer groups have invited the public to call crisis pregnancy centers nationwide for help with pregnancy options, then write an accurate review of the experience. Fake clinics appear to support all pregnancy options publicly, while privately being known as anti-abortion advocacy groups and clinic protesters.

Image created by #ShoutYourAbortion for #ExposeFakeClinics

Yesterday, bastion of public radio, All Things Considered, published a report titled “How Crisis Pregnancy Center Clients Rely on Medicaid.” Medicaid has been a hot topic discussion as our Republican legislature beats the dead horse of Affordable Care Act repeal. It does seem more than coincidental that NPR writer Sarah McCammon has chosen this week, of all weeks, to spotlight Crisis Pregnancy Centers in her Medicaid story, as Rewire, Bitch, Bust, and Bustle have already covered our #ExposeFakeClinics campaign.

We tried giving McCammon the benefit of the doubt - as a journalist, she is presenting the facts and letting her readers decide, right? Well, let us talk about the facts she did not consider.

In a story about pregnancy options and Medicaid, why not speak about All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center? Providing services in the same town as The Hannah Center, All-Options offers “open-hearted support for all...experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion, and adoption.” They also offer free pregnancy tests, diaper support, and referrals to ministries, food banks, and housing support, as well as a nationwide free help line. Where The Hannah Center and All-Options differ, however, is that All-Options does not blatantly attempt to dissuade their clients from considering abortion or counsel against abortion procedures.

From https://www.all-options.org/backline-is-now-all-options/

In a story about pregnancy options and Medicaid, would it not be relevant to report that the vast majority of crisis pregnancy centers are unregulated facilities? These centers provide counseling on pregnancy, abortion, adoptions, but they do not abide by HIPAA (the act that protects your healthcare privacy), and they regularly do not have doctors or any other sort of medical personnel on staff.

In fact, some communities have taken legal action. King County (Seattle), Washington requires limited service pregnancy centers to post a notice stating, “This facility is not a health care facility.” The ordinance mandates the notice appear in large font, in ten languages, onsite and in the pregnancy center’s advertising. New York City CPCs are required to inform clients whether or not there is a licensed medical provider on staff. The city of San Francisco, by law, restricts CPCs from advertising for services they do not provide, like abortion. California state law requires all CPC’s to disclose on their website and in-clinic if they are not a licensed medical provider, and must post the state phone number for free reproductive care.

Throughout this past week, clinics have shared the daily harassment their clients face from neighboring crisis pregnancy centers on social media, with #ExposeFakeClinics hashtag. For example, McAllen Pregnancy Center staff dress as nurses and try to steer abortion patients to their anti-abortion counseling center.

Created by #ShoutYourAbortion for #ExposeFakeClinics

No, it does not appear as though McCammon has considered all the facts. She has considered that the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) report that “uninsured women have higher rates of pregnancy complications.” She has not considered that ACOG also recognizes CPCs provide a significant public health risk to pregnant people accessing comprehensive care from trained medical professionals.

Instead, it appears McCammon has taken a play out of the CPC guidebook by offering a very limited and deceptive view of what CPCs actually offer. I encourage her to pull back her blinders and reveal the entire view of the landscape of reproductive health care. Offices that provide all options for pregnant people are becoming increasingly at risk of losing their funding due to the political activity of the CPC community. In 2013, 34 states funded these deceptive organizations, while denying funding for clinics that provide actual medical services. In fact, some states take money from programs for needy families, and fund CPC’s. To congratulate CPCs for “helping pregnant women” is to deny the work of real professionals offering people health care and complete control over their own reproduction.

CPCs are based on deception and half-truths, much like McCammon’s article. If you want the whole truth, visit exposefakeclinics.com. There you will find testimonials from doctors who treat people denied help at CPCs, people with wanted pregnancies that became jeopardized by the inexperience of CPC volunteers, and the origins of crisis pregnancy centers. While their methods differ, one thing among crisis pregnancy centers is universal - their attempts to control our reproduction. 

- The Abortion Access Hackathon & Abortion Access Front