At the intersection of abortion rights and anti-choice: A quiet street corner exemplifies an intense dispute

By Iliana Kiourkas

It’s not easy being pro-choice. You are often met with opposition claiming you condone “murder” or challenging your moral or religious views. For service providers, it can be difficult to work in a setting that is the target of opposition – like a health clinic. The debate over whether a woman has a right to terminate her pregnancy (and at what point, and for what reasons) is one of the most controversial topics in reproductive and women’s health. Almost 40 years after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case legalized abortion, supporters on both sides continue to fight daily for their respective beliefs.

One Saturday this summer, I was channel surfing and ran across the documentary 12th and Delaware. I pressed the remote’s “information” button and became intrigued by the description of the film’s plot about an abortion clinic and an anti-choice pregnancy “care” center located on the same street, directly across from one another. The documentary, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, debuted on HBO on August 2, 2010. It focuses on a real situation that exists in Fort Pierce, Florida, and showcases two opposing facilities: an abortion clinic called A Woman’s World, and a crisis center called Pregnancy Care Center.

The film did an excellent and unbiased job of presenting both sides of this story. It showed the abortion clinic director speaking to each patient about the woman’s apprehensions, and making sure the women’s clinic visit was not coerced and the procedure was her own choice. But, most importantly, I believe the film truly captured some of the manipulation, mistreatment, propaganda, exploitation, and deception that anti-choice “care” centers often utilize to mislead the public — including pregnant women and girls.

According to the Feminist Women's Health Center, many “crisis pregnancy” or “pregnancy help” centers offer free pregnancy tests or pregnancy counseling as a way to lure in pregnant women. Nearly all of these centers are operated by churches or religious organizations and provide neither abortion services nor referrals to the procedure. Many of these pregnancy care centers offer services to pregnant women, such as crib rentals, Lamaze and parenting classes, and supplies like food and diapers. But, too many unsuspecting women and girls walk into these centers with the mistaken belief that they will get credible and accurate information regarding pregnancy options and abortion referrals. This is rarely the case.

The film shows scenes in which the pregnancy care worker conveys false information about abortion and possible post-abortion complications, hinting that abortion may cause infertility in the future. The workers do this by using videos and other misleading marketing materials that communicate anti-choice positions. This practice is not unique to this Florida center. A 2006 Congressional investigation by Rep. Waxman (D-CA) found that 20 of 23 crisis pregnancy centers explored gave women false medical information, such as that abortion increases the incidence of breast cancer, suicide, and fertility problems.

One of the most angering, yet heart-wrenching scenes occurred in the film’s last 10 minutes. A young woman was on her way to the abortion clinic when anti-choice protestors outside on the sidewalk in front of the clinic beckoned to her. They begged her to not go through with the abortion procedure, and promised that they could help her. The young woman said that she already had six children and stated that “not even the government can help” her. To counteract her protests, the anti-choice protestors claimed they would give the woman money, food, diapers, and supplies — anything she might need. Watching this scene, I begged that she would not listen to these empty statements and allow this individual to determine what’s best for her situation. In the end, the young women believed the anti-choice protester, and walked across the street to the pregnancy care center. The abortion clinic director provided a somber message about scenes like that: anti-choice centers promise women everything and deliver nothing. This reflects pro-choice beliefs that the anti-choice care centers provide only limited assistance to women who continue their pregnancy, and that it does not continue very far after the birth of the child.

When I worked as a peer educator and intern at a local Planned Parenthood in the Midwest, I was exposed to this debate head-on. My colleagues and I were confronted by anti-choice protestors at various community events and outside the clinic entrance on selected days. My experience is not unique. When I worked as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate sexuality class, several of my students confided in me about their personal experiences with such pregnancy care centers. In addition to the false information presented about abortion and possible complications, one student shared that she had been contacted by the center following her abortion. After revealing to the center worker that she decided not to continue with the pregnancy, she said the worker tried to make her feel guilty about her decision. In the U.S., we value the ideological principle that people are free to believe what they want to believe and that we are entitled to our own opinions without fear of persecution. Anti-choice individuals are entitled to their beliefs, of course. But, I believe they cross an ethical line when they try to impose their beliefs onto others through harassment, deception, and fostering guilt.

An alarming statistic was shown at the end of the documentary: there are 4,000 pro-life pregnancy care centers operating in the U.S., but only 816 abortion clinics. Although the latter may refer to clinics that solely provide abortions, rather than a broader range of reproductive services, the number of abortion providers in the U.S. has been declining for some time. According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were close to 1,800 U.S. abortion providers in 2005, down from 2,042 in 1996. It is important to note that increased access and use of early medication abortion could have a partial role in this decline. In 2005, 13% of all abortions were induced by early medication abortion, up from only 6% four years prior. The decline in providers tells me that women and girls who are experiencing an unintended pregnancy are more vulnerable to ending up at these centers and receiving misinformation at a time of uncertainty and, possibly, fear. It also motivates me — as I hope it does other activists — to continue the fight to provide truthful information to women about their right to choose and the effect of their choice. This is imperative, especially since the number of abortion providers is declining and more than half of all abortion providers report that they are subject to anti-choice harassment.

Nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, indicating the clear need to stress pregnancy prevention efforts. Half of unintended pregnancies occur among the 11% of women at risk who were not using a contraception method in the month they became pregnant. More access to comprehensive sexuality education, especially in schools, would help encourage sexually active couples to use contraception, as would broader funding for contraceptive services and health care. At least we are on the right track with the shift away from abstinence-only-until-marriage “education” funded by the Bush Administration.

Within the context of a personal medical decision, we simply cannot allow anti-choice protestors to impose their personal views and principles on women and girls through the use of blatant manipulation, coercion, false propaganda, and empty promises. In the end, each woman must be allowed to make her own decision in peace.

Iliana Kiourkas recently completed her Masters of Public Health degree at Indiana University and is currently completing a fellowship at NIH. She hopes to work in program and policy development to address health disparities and underserved populations. She was a health information intern under the NWHN Helen Rodriguez-Trias Women's Health Leadership Program this past summer.