*Reader Discretion is advised. This blog post does discuss sensitive topics such as abortion. *
Imagine this: You are a college student, struggling to balance school, work, and a social life. On top of that, you have been anxious about whether you’re pregnant or not because you were recently sexually active without protection. In this vulnerable state, you turn to the internet to find a women’s clinic to get a pregnancy test, and, hopefully, some accurate information and options for what to do in case you are pregnant. There may be a clinic near campus that offers a free pregnancy test along with a promise to keep everything confidential. After confiding in this clinic, you take a pregnancy test and the results come back positive. You know that you are not financially or emotionally capable of going through with a pregnancy at this moment in your life, and you let the staff members of the clinic know this. However, instead of receiving information about the options available to you, such as a medical abortion (the “abortion pill”) if you are up to 10 weeks along,[1] the staff member(s) say phrases such as ‘we’ll help you make a decision you won’t regret,’ ‘take some time to think about what you really want to do,’ and instead give you information pertaining to adoption or going through with a pregnancy you may be hesitant about. Thus, leaving you feeling guilty and confused about your next steps.
Unfortunately, this is a reality that occurs every day at the approximate 4,000 fake women’s clinics across the U.S.[2] These clinics are spread throughout the nation, but mainly reside in southern states such as Texas or Oklahoma. Often, they are labeled as “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” (CPCs).[3] There are many ways these centers disseminate deceiving information to the women that come to them, such as pretending to be medical professionals, performing ultrasounds when they may not have not been certified to do so, or informing women of an inaccurate due date so they may miss the state’s legal abortion deadline.[4] They may use language, whether in person or on their website, that is biased against abortion even as they lay claims to being an unbiased environment.[5] The way these clinics advertise themselves may also be extremely misleading. A majority of these fake clinics don't have legitimate healthcare professionals evaluating their clients, and many women who confide in these clinics end up with psychological stress due to increased pressure especially in such a vulnerable state.[6] At these clinics, false information is spread too many patients in order to prevent them from pursuing a legal abortion. Professional abortion centers and movements such as Pro-Choice for North Carolina have noted, “some false claims many of these clinics make include: Abortion causes breast cancer, abortion is psychologically damaging, abortion can lead to sterility, future preterm births, and even death, and lastly that condoms are not effective against STDs, HIV/AIDS, and pregnancy.”[7] These statements are NOT medically accurate.
In most states, CPCs are funded by taxpayers providing them a large budget to continue to spread inaccurate information to women of all different ages and backgrounds. These clinics are often found in low-income neighborhoods, as well as near college campuses, and they target minority groups, low socioeconomically standing people, and other groups who may not have proper access to healthcare (such as young college women) by offering free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds.4 CPC’s use this intentional marketing as a way to lure people in. They tend to include words like “choice” in their advertisements to persuade people into thinking they will be offered all options after discovering they are pregnant.[7]
In Texas, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 8 called the “Texas Heartbeat Act” that bans abortions after six weeks into pregnancy, which is often before many women begin to experience symptoms of a pregnancy.[8] Most women experience pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue, spotting, nausea, and missed periods as early as the first 8 weeks of pregnancy.[9] Additionally, this bill does not give exceptions to cases of rape or incest. Due to this, many Texans are turning to neighboring states to receive access to this medical procedure. However, some people cannot afford to make the trip to these neighboring states and often turn towards unsafe methods. These unsafe methods can include the extremely hazardous use of sharp objects or ingesting household cleaning products.[10] These methods are very detrimental to a woman's health as it can lead to “incomplete abortions, hemorrhages, infection, uterine perforation, damage to genital tract and internal organs and sometimes death.”[11] This law affects all women and especially low income families by perpetuating the cycle of poverty by forcing individuals who simply cannot afford a child to raise them in inadequate environments.
In Oklahoma, there are known authentic clinics that offer all options to women. Some of these authentic women’s clinics include:
· Planned Parenthood clinics
At these Oklahoma locations, you will receive unbiased, accurate information about all your options, including access to a safe abortion procedure. While there are legitimate locations to receive access to an abortion in Oklahoma, there are many registered CPCs, all of which are suspected fake women’s clinics. The “Crisis Pregnancy Center Map” identifies these crisis pregnancy centers throughout the nation, so if you are unsure about a clinic near you checkout this map. You may also reference this site of fake clinics listed by state.
Although the website does include most suspected fake clinics, it is still good to know some signs of a fake women’s clinic before making a trip/appointment.
Some tips on how to spot fake clinics:[12]
If they require you to come in person when you ask about abortion options (ALWAYS call the clinic before and see if they will answer any questions you have on abortion). If they say something along the lines of “we can discuss the options during the appointment,” stay weary of the services they offer.
Check the location: it’s highly likely a fake clinic will be near an authentic clinic. It’s not typical to see several abortion clinics close to one another, so double check that you’re booked at a real one.
If they mention the abortion pill “reversal.”
Any mention of:
Condoms not being effective
Birth control as being dangerous
Abortion causing breast cancer or cancer in general
If they mention anything about religion
Be careful when looking at reviews! Many fake clinics can appear to be highly rated, when, in reality, most of the reviews have been tactfully placed there to mislead people.
If you have questions about where to find financial help to continue or end a pregnancy, pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, or what your options are, please go to Planned Parenthood’s website below:
UPDATE on Senate Bill 8 as of December 10th, 2021:
On December 10th, 2021, the Supreme Court granted Texan citizens a writ of certiorari (which allows the means to petition a case to be reviewed by the lower court), however, the bill is still active.[13] In other words, people who want to receive an abortion have to pay to go through a legal process in order to get their case reviewed and only possibly approved.
You deserve healthcare that is stigma free, respectful, and unbiased. Most importantly, you deserve informed consent, and the right to choose when it comes to your body.
References
1. “Oklahoma Abortion Care.” Tulsa Women's Reproductive Services, 20 May 2021, tulsawomensclinic.com/abortion-care/.
2. “New Law Hasn't Stopped Anti-Abortion ‘Pregnancy Centers’ from Misleading Women.” The Village Voice, 3 Jan. 2019, www.villagevoice.com/2017/09/13/562988/.
3. “What Are Crisis Pregnancy Centers (Cpcs)?” CPC Map, 14 Oct. 2020, crisispregnancycentermap.com/cpcs/.
4. Conti, Jenn., Cahill, Erica., hosts. “Fake Women’s Clinic” The V Word, episode 10, 30 April 2018, https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nhMMUDnSZGmSLqoXaBq0c?si=GepUkLxZSKqxpyXYE7mpA.
5. Bryant, Amy G., and Jonas J. Swartz. “Why Crisis Pregnancy Centers Are Legal but Unethical.” Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association, American Medical Association, 1 Mar. 2018, journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/why-crisis-pregnancy-centers-are-legal-unethical/2018-03.
6. JA;, Mertus. “Fake Abortion Clinics: The Threat to Reproductive Self-Determination.” Women & Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2309498/.
7. “Common Tactics - pro-Choice North Carolina.” Pro, 20 Oct. 2021, prochoicenc.org/issues/common-fake-womens-health-center-tactics/.
8. 87(R) SB 8 - Enrolled Version - Texas capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/SB00008F.pdf
9. Brennan, Dan. “How Late Can a Period Be before You Know You're Pregnant?” MedicineNet, MedicineNet, 25 Jan. 2021, www.medicinenet.com/how_late_can_period_be_
before_know_youre_pregnant/article.htm.
10. “Unsafe Abortion: A Forgotten Emergency: Women's Health: MSF.” Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International, 19 July 2019, www.msf.org/unsafe-abortion-forgotten-emergency-womens-health.
11. “Abortion.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 25 Nov. 2021, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abortion.
12. Shakouri, By: Shireen. “How to Spot a Fake Clinic.” Reproaction, 9 June 2021, reproaction.org/how-to-spot-a-fake-clinic/.
13. WFAA. “Supreme Court Allows Texas Abortion Law to Stay in Effect. Here's What We Know.” Wfaa.com, 10 Dec. 2021, www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/supreme-court-release-opinion-texas-abortion-law-heartbeat-bill/287-0f349991-c66d-4d50-a336-4794fceda7d2.