Thirty-six years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, the landmark court case that upheld a woman’s right to choose. While the nation celebrates another landmark this week – the inauguration of President Barack Obama – it is notable that this administration fully supports reproductive rights. Obama has said, “A woman’s ability to decide how many children to have and when, without interference from the government, is one of the most fundamental rights we possess. It is not just an issue of choice, but equality and opportunity for all women.”
Crisis pregnancy centers, however, run contrary to the ideals of equality, opportunity and choice for all women.
Crisis pregnancy centers are “pregnancy resource centers” that provide “pregnancy counseling” to pregnant teenagers and women – and receive federal funding. CPCs “often mask their pro-life mission in order to attract ‘abortion-vulnerable’ clients,” as stated in Rep. Henry Waxman’s 2006 report “False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers.” If you’ve seen a sign that advertises free pregnancy tests, a newspaper ad that reads “Pregnant? We can help” or walked down E. 13th Avenue, where Lane Pregnancy Support Center is located, then you have come into contact with a CPC.
There are more than 4,000 CPCs in the United States, and two within walking distance of the University. These centers are ubiquitous, and unfortunately their medically inaccurate information is as well. Waxman’s report details some of the tactics used by centers to mislead women, including erroneously linking abortion to breast cancer or future infertility. They also provide information about “Post-Abortion Syndrome,” a purported mental health condition that is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association or the American Psychological Association. CPCs pose as clinics, leading vulnerable clients to assume their information is medically accurate.
Women deserve honest and accurate medical information when dealing with the complexity of facing an unintended pregnancy. CPCs should clearly inform their potential clients that they are not medical facilities, they neither provide nor refer women for abortion or birth control services and they are not qualified to diagnose and accurately date pregnancy. As we celebrate Roe v. Wade, and remember a not-so-distant past when women did not have reproductive rights, let’s look to a future in which institutions like CPCs do not receive federal funding and do not deceive women.
Thea Evenstad
Students for Choice co-director, University undergraduate
[email protected]
Crisis pregnancy centers mask pro-life agenda with dishonesty
Daily Emerald
January 21, 2009
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