Important email from Planned Parenthood

[proud2BlibKansan]

When a 17-year-old Indiana girl walked into what she thought was a Planned Parenthood clinic, her mother and boyfriend beside her, she never imagined that it was a trap — a deceitful setup by anti-choice zealots.

You can read her alarming story below — including how people from the fake clinic came to her high school and publicly humiliated her — but it's not an isolated incident.

The anti-choice movement is setting up so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" across the country. Some of them have neutral-sounding names and run ads that falsely promise the full range of reproductive health services, but dispense anti-choice propaganda and intimidation instead. And according to The New York Times, there are currently more of these centers in the U.S. than there are actual abortion providers!1

A bill has just been introduced in Congress to stop the fraudulent practices of fake clinics, but it desperately needs more support.

Tell your representative to take a stand: anti-choice extremists must not get away with this any longer!

The Story: An Indiana mother recently accompanied her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend to one of Indiana's Planned Parenthood clinics, but they unwittingly walked into a "crisis pregnancy center" run by an anti-abortion group — one that shared a parking lot with the real Planned Parenthood clinic, and was designed expressly to lure our patients and deceive them.

The group took down the girl's confidential personal information and told her to come back for her appointment, which they said would be in their "other office" (the real Planned Parenthood office nearby). When she arrived for her appointment, not only did the Planned Parenthood staff have no record of her, but the police were there — the "crisis pregnancy center" had called them, claiming that a minor was being forced to have an abortion against her will.

The "crisis pregnancy center" staff then proceeded to wage a campaign of intimidation and harassment over the following days, showing up at the girl's home and calling her father's workplace. Our clinic director reports that she was "scared to death to leave her house." They even went to her school and urged classmates to pressure her not to have an abortion.

This cruel and fraudulent behavior shows exactly what's behind the proliferation of these centers. That's why this new bill is so important: it would make it illegal for any entity to advertise abortion services if it does not provide such services.

Worse yet — the Bush administration has used $60 million in taxpayer dollars to fund these propaganda machines. This has got to stop!

Help bring attention to this outrageous practice. Please contact your representative today!

With your help, we can put an end to the fraud and deceit that women across America are facing in their most vulnerable moments.

Sincerely,




Cecile Richards
President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

[democrat_patriot]

1. Jesus H. Christ

What the hell is wrong with these people??

If they spent as much time caring for the childeren AFTER THE BIRTH I would support them in that effort.

I hope she has the baby, holds a news conference and gives the child to "anyone from the 'pregnancy crisis center' who will step up and take responsibility for its upbringing"

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Law and Order did a story on one of these clinics

They kept putting the girl off until it was too late for an abortion.

[Samurai_Writer]

6. Actually, CPC are fronts for adoption agencies

They do not help young women to keep their childen. Their entire aim is to coerce these young women into surrendering their children for adoption. Healthy, white babies are at a premium, you know, and an agency can get anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 for an 'HWI'. These CPCs also get 'finders fees' from the adoption agencies they work with.

[renate]

8. eww, you're kidding! Please tell me you're kidding!

I'd be all in favor of an agency that helps women who want to keep their babies, but not this kind of thing. (I'm prochoice but, like everybody else, I want women who choose to stay pregnant to get any help they need.)

It's already deceitful of these centers to pretend to be helpful, but to PROFIT from that deceit is disgusting--it's trafficking in human beings, and I'm not just referring to the baby but to the girl/woman who goes through an unwanted pregnancy so the center can make its $$.

[Samurai_Writer]

10. I'm not kidding

CPCs have been known for having this M.O. for decades.

[LeftyMom]

Yep, thier help and concern dries up fast if you decide to keep your baby

or if your baby will be unmarketable due to race or health.

These places exist to funnel healthy white babies to fundie families who will pay top dollar for them.

[ncgirl06]

3. Fake Clinics

I do not understand why Congress has to pass a law to oppose this practice. Aren't fraud and harassment illegal already? I agree with the writer who claims they only care about the fetus BEFORE it is born. Where are these people when the kids are sick and the parents can't afford health insurance or when the mother wants to work but can't afford good day care? Who cares about these kids (which the pro-lifers force these girls to have) then?

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[ncgirl06]

12. Welcoming me

How did you know I was new??? Thanks for the welcome, we just moved here and my neighbor (who we assumed was Republican because this is a Red state we just moved to) turned me on to this. I can see this getting addicting. Glad to meet you and glad to know there are other disenchanted, disgusted, intelligent thinkers out there!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Your post count is next to your name

I am glad you found us. This is the best internet site ever.

[murielm99]

7. Welcome to DU.

I can't type much, because I am wearing a splint, but it is good to see you here.

[niyad]

13. welcome to DU--and, you guessed it, these people ONLY care about

the fetus, and only then as in instrument of control. they don't give a DAMN about the born, infant, child or adult.

I hope somebody pickets their houses day and night, and finds some really wonderful things to "out" about them.

my local favourite is the fact that the old couple who protests at our local PP each friday and saturday has the largest collection of porn in Colorado, which fact I publicize each time I am doing a counter-protest, and to everyone who sees them.

[Fleshdancer]

5. She has a right to privacy

They went to her school? Told her classmates? :wtf:

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. That was the worst part IMO

[novalib]

9. DAMMIT!!

Stuff like this shit just makes me FURIOUS!!

Who in the HELL do these poor excuses for human beings think they are? Oh, I know -- they don't "think" at all!!

This poor girl has been abused and violated.

I would bet that her legal, civil rights have been violated by those bastard zealot fundies.

I'd contribute to any legal defense fund for this girl so she could sue the goddam pants off of the people who did this to her!

Where can I send my check?