Dear John,

Welcome to the May edition of the #BadFaithMedicine Breakdown. As a Sagittarius, I am going to brutally honest, it’s been a tough and heartbreaking couple of weeks. I am tired, the movement is tired, but the work is not done. It can feel impossible some days to keep weeding through the muck when the dream, the win, our freedom, seems so far away. That’s why I am grateful for the mentors who taught me to count even the smallest things as a win and glimpses into the reproductive justice future we all deserve. This #BadFaithMedicine Breakdown is dedicated to all of the small and big wins over the last few weeks that I want us to use as fuel when the going gets tough!

Recently on the Reproaction blog:

Anti-Abortion Fake Clinics and Your Tax Dollars, by Shireen Shakouri

“As of April 2022, the California-based Obria Group is no longer receiving Title X grant money through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)”

Why We Say, “Anti-Abortion Fake Clinic” by Shireen Shakouri

“Why do we say “anti-abortion fake clinic?” Simply, it’s the easiest descriptor of what they do and who they are.”

Heartbeat International Sent Reproaction a Ridiculous Letter by Erin Matson

“Newsflash: Heartbeat International is not the boss of Reproaction. I am. We will continue to stand strong and spread the truth about anti-abortion fake clinics.”

In the Media:

How Crisis Pregnancy Centers Help Anti-Abortion Legislatures

- Our deputy director Shireen Shakouri brought the heat in this Jezebel article, written by Kylie Cheung; she calls out the insidious data collection and surveillance conducted by anti-abortion fake clinics, that directly contributes to the heinous legislation we are seeing across the country right now

Anti-Abortion Fake Clinic of the Month: Obria Group

Earlier this month it was announced that the anti-abortion fake clinic chain, Obria Group, will no longer receive Title X family planning dollars! Check out the above-linked blog posts for more on that.

Obria group was happily receiving these funds for their anti-abortion fake clinic public health scams under the Trump administration, but if you follow the #BadFaithMedicine Campaign, you know that the anti-abortion fake clinics don’t do much to support pregnant people, let alone provide comprehensive family planning. In case you need a refresher on how terrible Obria Group is check out our previous coverage .

U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is no stranger to fighting anti-abortion fake clinics. As California’s Attorney General, he defended the state’s comprehensive, common-sense Reproductive FACT Act, designed to regulate the deception and stigma pushed by fake clinics. The law was ultimately brought before the Supreme Court in the case NIFLA v. Becerra. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court sided with fake clinics in that case, but it is incredibly exciting to see Secretary Becerra lean in to expertise developed throughout his career and deliver where he can. Reducing the power of anti-abortion fake clinics is good for our communities!

We anticipate and prepare for a devastating opinion from the Supreme Court in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could be used to eliminate the federal constitutional right to abortion affirmed in Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, anti-abortion fake clinics are making cash grabs in states all over the country to present themselves as a solution to a post-Roe world. We know their primary product is misleading information about bodies and health care, wrapped in shaming and stigma.

Please check out and share our Fake Clinic Database to make sure you stay away from #BadFaithMedicine in your community! If you are looking to learn more about all of the ways anti-abortion fake clinics are a dangerous threat to public health, check out our Reali-TEA of Anti-Abortion Fake Clinics and Abortion Pill Reversal teach-in, because knowledge is power!

I hope this #BadFaithMedicine Breakdown shined a little light on the good work being done and the wins we shouldn’t forget to count! If you’re feeling a bit drained, we have a new webinar on self-care for activists, full of tips from Reproaction staff on what we do to take care when the chaos won’t stop.

In solidarity,

Tenaja Henson
Campaign Coordinator
Based in Greensboro, North Carolina