#ExposeFakeClinics: A Personal Narrative Of The Fight For Abortion Rights
Written by Ariana King, Culture Editorial Assistant
Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve always been a truth seeker. I wanted answers more than I wanted to be blissfully ignorant. I’m the girl who read books about child brides and FGM at age 12 behind her mother’s back. I’m the girl who dived deep into the adoption industry I was personally a part of, even when it meant reading about stolen children and knowing I could be one of them.
All of this is to say, when I heard about fake abortion clinics or CPCs, I was the first one to ask my supervisor if I could go undercover.
Oh, wait. Sorry to lead you on. I didn’t go undercover. My bosses are much more careful than I am and have seen a lot of abortion activists go undercover already and didn’t want me to get hurt in the same ways.
Instead, my boss suggested I follow #ExposeFakeClinics’ toolkit and use their model to analyze CPCs without actually going to one. So, as the diligent intern I am, I dived deep into all their guidebooks. I was pleasantly surprised at both the plethora of resources and strategies they had on being an abortion advocate. I didn’t realize, for example, that simply liking truthful reviews on Facebook, Google or Yelp could help deter people from going to CPCs.
Over this past week, I have investigated nine CPCs in Wisconsin, Kansas and Minnesota. Under the guidance of #ExposeFakeClinics, I reviewed their websites, made several calls and wrote more than my fair share of honest and concise Facebook and Google Reviews.
Despite serving the same purpose—to deter folks from getting abortions—all of the CPCs varied in their advertising strategies. Some of their websites were overtly religious, others weren’t. Even when the religious sites were obviously anti-abortion, many didn’t dive into other religious issues like sex before marriage or birth control.
Many websites were so inconspicuous that they simply appeared to be centers helping women who were pregnant but wanted to keep the child. Those were the most deceiving—they hid under the guise of simply wanting to help pregnant folks make a decision, but their strong push for free baby supplies and refusal to refer for abortions said otherwise.
When it got down to calling, I ran into a few pitfalls. While using the #ExposeFakeClinics guide is really helpful, no manual can prepare you for everything. Before you call, make sure you have a concrete story.
Decide beforehand how long you or your friend has been “pregnant,” when your last menstrual period was, if you’ve already taken a pregnancy test or had an ultrasound and if you want to specifically say you are there for abortion advice. These are all questions they ask you, and it seems strange if you don’t have an answer quickly. However, I will say that if your mind suddenly goes blank, acting really flustered, stressed or confused can mitigate this suspicion.
Prior to calling you should have a list of zip codes on hand that are close to the center you’re contacting, particularly if it’s an out-of-state CPC. Many CPCs ask you where you’re located, and if you don’t give them a zip code right away they start to get both confused and impatient.
While on the phone, always be polite and stick to your story, but also ask questions. It’s okay to go off the script a little bit if you need to in order to clarify what the CPC’s mission is or how it goes about spreading information. Once I got comfortable enough with the project, I started straight-up asking the CPC staff about the risks of abortion over-the-phone.
In most cases, the staff simply insisted I come in, so I improvised in order to write the most accurate review possible. I wanted to know if they gave out false information or scare tactics to deter people from accessing abortion care. And, with some of these places, nothing in the script could give me that answer.
Most of the calls were cordial and tense at worst; however, you need to be in an emotionally safe space to do this work. Even though many of the CPC’s staff had hidden agendas—ones you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking for them—it was difficult to not get frustrated with being personally patronized. It was worse when I considered how their actions could harm a stressed, vulnerable pregnant person just looking for unbiased answers.
Sometimes, calls didn’t go well at all. Some CPC staff can be extremely judgemental and harsh, which was the case with Milwaukee Birthright. When I told the woman on the phone I wanted an abortion and asked if she could help me because I couldn’t afford another child, she sighed and scoffed, “Well, there are other options.”
Later, she proceeded to shame me and said accusingly, “Don’t you love your children? This child deserves a life too because it has already been conceived.” Her anger and her conviction startled me. It was the first time I’d called a CPC where the staff didn’t even try to veil their agenda in the slightest.
Once that call was over, I wrote a review immediately but hesitated to post it. #ExposeFakeClinics cautions you to stay polite while speaking your truth. And I wholeheartedly agree. Bashing people never gets you anywhere, but it’s hard to remember that when calls make you so angry and hurt you’re shaking.
If that ever happens to you, write how you feel and save it somewhere safe. But wait until you’ve cooled down enough to post it or have a friend read it over. That way you can get your feelings out and speak your truth in a polite and civil manner.
In total, I wrote over 18 reviews. I limited myself to Google and Facebook (although #ExposeFakeClinics also recommends writing on Yelp). Because I’d used a pseudonym—Anna Brown—when calling CPCs, I made a new google account to post my reviews as “Anna.”
If you give a fake name, I’d recommend doing this, too. CPCs often invalidate reviews by saying that the reviewer “didn’t use their services.” They may still do this, but using the same name you gave them to write the review decreases the risk of being discredited.
My reviews were candid, specific and tied to my experiences. I encourage you to do the same. While it is always helpful for someone to write that a CPC is not a real abortion clinic, having tangible examples of how you were treated while talking to them helps deter people who are touched by your negative experience. Testimony is an incredibly powerful tool and even more so when it’s done in a critical way that aims to tell the truth, not dispel anger.
Once the reviews are done, it can feel like a huge relief, but there may also be some backlash. This weekend I woke up to several Facebook notifications telling me that a CPC had responded to my review. It can be disheartening to see their replies that discredit and implicitly shame you for “lying.” Sometimes, it can seem like you did the work for nothing because they will always fight against the truth.
Yet, in the end, I, as well as everyone else, have to remember that activism consists of the little things. What I did wasn’t for nothing. Even if I was only 1 out of 22 people who did not recommend a CPC, maybe my low rating will plant a seed of doubt in a pregnant person’s mind. Maybe, someone will see my review and actually call Planned Parenthood before going to a fake abortion clinic.
So, there you have it—my #ExposeFakeClinics story. I encourage all of you abortion advocates to follow their lead and go through the same guidelines. If you don’t want to call, you can still do your part—you can blog, you can write reviews or you can like other abortion advocates’ reviews. All this will help spread the truth and minimize the rhetoric these CPCs put out. So, please join me in exposing fake clinics in whatever way you are able to.
To learn more about #ExposeFakeClinics visit their website: https://www.exposefakeclinics.com/