Dear John,
Welcome to the June edition of the #BadFaithMedicine Breakdown! In it, we chronicle our recent activities to call out anti-abortion fake clinics and their efforts to push #BadFaithMedicine.
Latest Updates
New on the blog we have a stellar co-authored piece from our digital outreach manager Jessica Ensley and senior research analyst Kara Mailman on Operation Save America’s terrifying idea to criminalize those seeking abortion care and providers: For Operation Save America, ‘Criminalization Is Pro-Life’.
“They are now saying the quiet part out loud: They believe people who have and perform abortions should be jailed.”
And if that wasn’t enough, here is our webinar that takes an even deeper dive into the mess that is Operation Save America: Big ‘Pro-Life’ Deep Dive: Who is Operation Save America?
Fake Clinic of the Month: Save the Storks
Have you seen an unexpectedly parked bus sitting outside of an abortion clinic offering pregnancy testing, sonograms, and other services? It may have been run by the anti-abortion group called Save the Storks.
Starting off in 2012 as just one renovated bus in Dallas, Texas, Save the Storks now operates at least 50 active mobile anti-abortion fake clinics across the United States. Save the Storks primarily stations themselves outside of real abortion clinics in an attempt to trick patients on their way to their appointments to come to the bus rather than to the clinic to receive the care they are looking for. Save the Storks operational tactics rest on the assumption that a pregnant person seeking abortion care will be ‘transformed’ from seeing a sonogram of a fetus, deciding not to go through with their appointment. While Save the Storks claims to be only interested in “helping women and saving children,” their actions clearly tell a different story. From spreading false, politically motivated talking points about laws that expand access to abortion, to sponsoring a huge display at the Conservative Political Action Conference, and hosting events at Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., it’s obvious that Save the Storks has a political agenda.
Save the Storks’ influence extends beyond driving around busses and manipulating people on their way to medical appointments. Save the Storks has relationships with brick-and-mortar anti-abortion fake clinics in the areas they operate, and refer people to them. Save the Storks also has a consulting operation where they help anti-abortion fake clinics revamp their social media to help reach more what they call “abortion-minded” women. And if you have been following the #BadFaithMedicine campaign you might know that these centers’ use of ‘abortion-minded’ can often be code for racism, classism, and misogyny. In fact, Save The Storks has a video comparing gun violence in marginalized communities to the false claims that Planned Parenthood locations are targeting these same marginalized communities, specifically Black communities.
Save the Storks asserts that they are trying to “rebrand” the anti-abortion movement, but these efforts paper over the same shared tactics of racism, hyper-conservative ideology, and stigmatizing manipulation with most other fake clinic chains.
Having trouble identifying anti-abortion fake clinics near you? We got you!
And if you are interested in deepening your fake clinic identification skills are sharp check out these awesome resources from the Reproaction team:
- How to Spot a Fake Clinic, a blog post by Shireen Shakouri, our deputy director
- The Reali-TEA of Anti-Abortion Fake Clinics and Abortion Pill Reversal Teach-In, a webinar hosted by Caitlin Blunnie, our outreach and culture manager, and Tenaja Henson, campaign coordinator (that’s me!)
Last, but certainly not least, Reproaction is offering a free screening of Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America. Sign up now to watch for free before July 14, 2021!
Join Reproaction and National Advocates for Pregnant Women for a free public screening of Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America! Previously, this opportunity was only available to Wisconsin residents.
Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America is a new documentary that explores the dangerous consequences of fetal personhood laws through the story of Tammy Loertscher, a pregnant woman who was referred for investigation under Wisconsin’s Unborn Child Protection Act (Act 292).
This is the last chance to see the film with us, so don’t forget to sign up!
With that, this wraps up the June edition of the #BadFaithMedicine Breakdown. Until next month!
In Solidarity,
Tenaja Henson
Campaign Coordinator,
Based in Greensboro, NC
P.S. Donate here to support our work.
