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Taking on Mis-Information at Crisis Pregnancy Centers
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "crisis pregnancy center"? For those unfamiliar with the concept, it might sound like a place to get assistance for an unwanted pregnancy. This assumption would be partially correct. CPCs do offer pregnancy tests and counseling on abortion alternatives. What they don't offer is abortion care, referrals or even accurate information pertaining to abortion or birth control.
In fact, CPCs are run by reproductive rights opponents, and their main purpose is to stop women from considering abortion. These centers have been justly criticized by organizations like NOW and NARAL for spreading myths that have little factual basis. For instance, CPCs claim that: birth control pills are unsafe (fact: most women can use birth control pills safely); condoms don't protect against Sexually Transmitted Diseases (fact: correct use of condoms reduces the transmission of various STDs); abortion increases the risk of breast cancer (fact: the National Cancer Institute begs to differ); and abortion causes psychological trauma known as post-abortion syndrome (fact: the American Psychological Association and Johns Hopkins University state that there are no credible studies supporting this assertion).
It is absolutely necessary that every pregnant woman be given accurate information regarding her options, including abortion. A woman has the right to make an informed decision on whether or not to carry her pregnancy to term, and she should not be misled by biased information given out by non-medical sources.
Recently, Montgomery County (Md.) Council member (and longtime NOW member) Duchy Trachtenberg introduced legislation that would require CPCs to provide a verbal disclaimer or put up signs in English and Spanish clearly stating that the center will not be providing medical advice or establishing a doctor-patient relationship, and that clients should contact a qualified health care professional.
The regulation would not force CPCs to cease providing their services, and CPCs would be completely free to counsel women who choose to continue a pregnancy. If Trachtenberg's initiative passes it might serve as a template for future legislative efforts in other areas. It will also be the second law of this kind, the first being Baltimore City's Limited Service Pregnancy Center Disclaimers Bill .
The request seems logical enough. However, Trachtenberg's proposal has come under fire from conservative groups, who view it as a politically-motivated move that would harass non-profit organizations that provide "pro-life" alternatives to abortion. Other critics -- including The Washington Post, which ran an editorial opposing the legislation -- say that the bill is unfair because it doesn't require abortion clinics to post similar disclaimers saying they don't provide counseling to women who decide to give birth.
In a letter to the editors of The Post, NOW President Terry O'Neill addressed their concerns:
"Health care providers are already required by their oaths to tell their patients the truth, and this is supported by the licensing practices of the state. A doctor asked by a patient for a referral to an adoption service will receive one, and no physician or assistant needs to be told to inform their patients truthfully. The same cannot be said by those set up specifically in pursuit of a political agenda."
In response to claims that requiring CPCs to put up disclaimers is outright harassment, Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had the following to say: "It's a simple sign that you can make on your computer and printer in five minutes. It doesn't say anything other than what is true about the centers."
Then, there is also the fact that in Montgomery County and around the country, CPCs outnumber family planning clinics. If CPCs want to give out erroneous information and propaganda about contraceptives and abortion, the least they can do is to encourage women to also consult a real health care provider.
More Information:
Myth Watch: Examples of Misleading Information Women Receive at CPCs
Beware of Anti-abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers
I'm not pro-life, and I don't like the idea that pro-lifers are spreading myths about abortion. But none of us have the right to restrict there freedom of speech.
And when does the personal responsibility of these pregnant women become a factor? Why should they have the privilege of being protected from their own ignorance?
1. offer pregnancy tests and counseling on abortion alternatives.
2. don't offer abortion care or birth control.
When you are intentionally trying to deceive people, it's not free speech, it's fraud. The reason people are upset with CPCs is that at least some have gone to extraordinary lengths to make people believe that they are comprehensive reproductive health clinics that will provide accurate information about all reproductive options, including abortion and birth control. This includes listing in the phone book that they provide "abortion counseling," or positioning themselves next door to abortion clinics, or giving themselves names similar to those of clinics that provide abortions. One even placed a logo on their door very similar to that of the Planned Parenthood next to it so people would think that the CPC was actually the Planned Parenthood.
They're not just spreading lies about abortion; they are also spreading lies about birth control. Telling people that condoms are ineffective and that birth control pills and emergency contraception are dangerous and/or are abortifacients is not only false, it could prevent people from using either in the future, increasing their chances of ending up with an unwanted pregnancy, an STD, or both.
Additionally, the fact that they mislead women about the medical training and expertise of their staff as well as the quality of their services is reckless and potentially dangerous. Though they provide pregnancy tests, they are type that you can buy at any drug store, not one that would require a medical professional to administer or interpret. Even more disturbing is that they have untrained personnel providing ultrasounds. The purpose of having an ultrasound is to detect any complications or abnormalities. If they don't know what to look for they aren't going to find it and that potentially puts women's lives at risk. As if this weren't bad enough, CPC staff members and volunteers have occasionally lied and told women they weren't pregnant to prevent them from getting an abortion. That alone should constitute fraud.
It is completely fair to require CPCs to display signs reflecting their true qualifications and the limitations on their services. Various "nutritional supplements" are required to list in their commercials that their claims have not been evaluated or are not supported by the FDA. This may affect what consumers think of the products safety and effectiveness, but the consumer still has a right to know what it is they are buying. CPCs could give themselves names like "Holy Mother Pregnancy Center" or "Choose Life Pregnancy Center," but they don't because their goal is to try to trick women into coming in there so they can talk them out of getting an abortion. They are not concerned with what affect they are having on the women they deal with, as long as they are furthering their agenda. Since they will not be honest in how they represent themselves to the public, it is then necessary to make them display a sign informing the public about the true nature of the establishment.
You are completely misrepresenting the issue by trying to blame the women who have been victimized by these organizations. It's not like these organizations said they were anti-choice often religious organizations whose primary goal was to persuade women not to have abortions; they did everything they could to portray themselves as organizations that provided abortions and to try to prevent women from going to a clinic where they could actually obtain an abortion and accurate information. This would be like a group of misogynists calling themselves the National Organization on Women and then speak out against things like equal pay, reproductive rights, and maternity leave or a group of white supremacists calling themselves the National Association for the Advancement of Caucasian People and speaking out against Affirmative Action, diversity, and immigration. The whole point is to mislead people into thinking you are someone you are not.
When I say that I am in favor of choice, bear in mind that the most important choices that any young couple has to make are the choices that they make BEFORE having sex.
I believe that our society should have at least 100 TIMES as much sex education, and availability of birth control as we presently have.
The scandinavian countries have shown us that no matter how open a society is about sex, there will still be a need for abortion, But their rates are a small fraction of what ours are.
And anyone who tries to convince a young person that birth control IS a form of abortion, well, I'm pushing the bounds of good taste here, but I might suggest tar and feathers.
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