On March 31, Reproaction and the Arkansas Clinic Escorts held an educational training in Little Rock, Arkansas, on how to hold crisis pregnancy centers accountable.

Crisis pregnancy centers are shady, anti-abortion fake clinics that exist to talk women out of having abortions. These fake clinics have been found to give misleading information about how far along clients are in their pregnancy, lie about risks of abortion when the facts are clear that abortion is safe, shame women for their sexual history, provide incorrect information to pregnant clients about their risk of miscarriage, and harass women with phone calls due to their decisions. Anti-abortion fake clinics are largely unregulated and many states fund these organizations with tax dollars.

There are more than 40 anti-abortion fake clinics in Arkansas that act as a wing of the pro-life movement. Arkansas has only three reproductive health clinics that provide abortion. Karen Musick, co-founder and field trainer for Arkansas Clinic Escorts , shared her insight with participants about the tactics these fake clinics use to redirect and mislead patients from the Little Rock Family Planning Clinic. She highlighted instances when patients missing their appointments when they’ve been purposefully directed into the wrong clinic by the fake clinic across the street.

During the training, participants learned the facts about fake clinics, the tactics they use, and examples of information presented on Arkansas fake clinic websites. There was a mutual sense of shock at the inaccurate and deceptive nature of these anti-abortion fake clinics. After the presentation, attendees were excited to plan a direct action at a fake clinic in Little Rock to show that fake clinics have no place in ‘The Natural State.’

Reproaction will continue to #ExposeFakeClinics by hosting additional trainings on holding anti-abortion fake clinics accountable in Arkansas.

Visit our Hold Fake Clinics Accountable action page for resources and more information.

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