Dear John,

Welcome to the September edition of the #BadFaithMedicineBreakdown. The season is changing and autumn is here, bringing with it a feeling of justice as the dark shadows of anti-abortion fake clinics are seen by more and more people. Just like trees that are starting to drop their leaves and reveal their skeletons hiding underneath, anti-abortion fake clinics won’t be able to hide their true insidious intentions behind extremist indoctrination and fake ‘loving’ smiles for long.

Recently on the Blog:

Anti-Abortion Fake Clinics Play the Victim, with Congressional Help, by Tenaja Henson

“For these men in high levels of power to conflate alleged vandalism of fake clinics to the decades of arson, bombings, murders, kidnappings, and threats that abortion clinics have resiliently endured, is absolutely foul. Anti-abortion fake clinics contribute to the hostile social environment around abortion, and the misinformation they spread fans the flames of inflammatory rhetoric that inspires violence towards abortion clinics.”

Big Tech’s Responsibility to Abortion Seekers, by Shireen Shakouri

“While anti-abortion fake clinics ramp up advertising online and position themselves as a solution to the cruelties of the post-Roe world that their movement inflicted on us, we have to find innovative ways to get the right information in the hands of everyone who needs it.”

Anti-Abortion Fake Clinic of the Month: Heartbeat International

Making headlines for questionable and potentially unethical data collection is not really something you want to happen if you are trying to convince people that you are a medical facility and not a religious propaganda machine. But anti-abortion fake clinics have found themselves in this exact situation, thanks to a recent article in TIME Magazine.

Reproaction has long been sounding the alarm on Heartbeat International in particular, whether it be privacy concerns around personal medical information or their dangerous promotion of unproven and unethical ‘abortion pill reversal’. Heartbeat received a very unflattering spotlight, with new and worrying information rightfully questioning the safety of client data obtained by Heartbeat International through their unethical tactics that get people in their doors. [1] The TIME Magazine article explains the highly sensitive nature of data collected by anti-abortion fake clinics, such as test results, ultrasound photos, and history of reproductive and sexual health. This information is obtained through in-person interactions, phone calls, and online chats that anti-abortion fake clinics run in their attempts to dissuade someone from their own abortion decision.

The consistent public outcry of concerns around anti-abortion fake clinics inspired a group of senators led by Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA-D), to send a letter to Heartbeat International expressing their deep concern around their misleading tactics and subsequent data collection. [2] The letter from the group of senators asks a trove of perfectly reasonable questions – questions that a genuine medical facility would be able to answer – with a deadline of October 3 for response.

Unfortunately, president of Heartbeat International, Jor-El Godsey, pivoted away from any accountability or reassurance that their anti-abortion fake clinics are not seriously violating individual privacy, alleging the inquiry was a move, “from those with a clear abortion agenda” and “naked politics.”[3] As if anti-abortion fake clinics and the world they’re fighting for are apolitical – no way! Godsey was just doing what his organization has been forever: stifling the truth about their anti-abortion fake clinics. We should know: Heartbeat International went as far as to send Reproaction a threatening legal letter about our activism, organizing, and research to raise awareness about anti-abortion fake clinics around the country (believe me, the only thing our executive director Erin said was, hell no, we are not stopping).

But there’s hope to fight back and stay safe. A great way to start is to use our Fake Clinic Database as well as our abortion care resource fact sheet, so you and those you care for can avoid anti-abortion manipulation when you’re just trying to get your health care. Be well and stay safe.

In solidarity,

Tenaja Henson
Campaign Coordinator
Based in Greensboro, NC

P.S. Donate here to support our work.

Sources:

[1] https://time.com/6189528/anti-abortion-pregnancy-centers-collect-data-investigation/
[2] https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2022.09.19 Letter to Heartbeat International re Privacy Concerns.pdf
[3] https://time.com/6214503/elizabeth-warren-crisis-pregnancy-centers-abortion-data/