Anti-Abortion Fake Clinics in Texas
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I first came across an anti-abortion fake clinic around 2017, when I was looking for an abortion clinic. Having no knowledge of what they were when I called, the person on the phone seemed nice and insisted that I come take a pregnancy test and have an ultrasound in their center. However, I didn’t feel comfortable going, so I didn’t. Maybe it was my lack of knowledge or just my reluctancy in dealing with medical personnel. I was completely unaware that they were not an abortion clinic, but disguised as one. I now know that anti-abortion fake clinics, or crisis pregnancy centers, prevent people from making informed decisions about their reproductive health care. These centers actively discourage and stigmatize any options other than continuing with a pregnancy. It’s crucial for people to educate themselves about these centers so they don’t fall prey to them like I almost did.
As a parent, I am secure and assured of my own choices, which have made me much more pro-abortion through the years. I am a firm believer that people know what is best for their body, mind, and soul. People can have an abortion, for whatever the reason, and do not have to be a parent if they don’t want to. As a single parent, it was hard to find resources in the Texas Rio Grande Valley that weren’t religiously affiliated. One might say that anti-abortion fake clinics provide some goods for the community, but the truth is that they dissuade people from essential resources and provide inaccurate information. Simply put, you’re not helping if you’re coercing or manipulating someone. Right now, groups like South Texans for Reproductive Justice, Gentle Intentions Doula Care, and Holy Family Birthing Center are stepping up to provide the community with complimentary diapers, a carrot that many anti-abortion clinics use to get people through their doors. This is a significant relief for parents, easing the burden of managing a baby by ensuring easier access to diapers from a reputable place that will not try to influence any parenting choices. South Texans for Reproductive Justice is even now funding free ultrasounds, a major step in combating the anti-abortion clinic tactic that got me (and many others) years before.
Adding to the hardships that people face is Texans ongoing struggle for basic health care and how that interlinks with funding for anti-abortion fake clinics. The Texas Pregnancy Care Network – the sole contractor supported by taxpayer-funds through the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program – provides about one third of the money that keeps fake clinics in the state in operation, but does not afford money or resources to regulate them, which has frequently led to abuse of the program. [1] In April 2023, anti-abortion fake clinics in Texas received an approved $165 million for the Alternatives to Abortion program, which misleadingly and ineffectively emphasizes that abstinence is the most reliable and effective method for avoiding a pregnancy. [2] We know that young people should have access to factual information about their autonomy and health, and it is a disservice to them to provide anything else but that.
Anti-abortion fake clinics direct their targeting toward the most marginalized including young people, minority communities, and those with limited economic means. The “majority of CPCs are supported by religiously-motivated associations such as Care Net, Heartbeat International, Birthright International, or the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates.” [3] Although these organizations aim to appear to cater to people in need of assistance, it is a strategy of filling up a gap of social resources that we lack because of the state allocating resources elsewhere. With there being over 150 anti-abortion fake clinics across the state of Texas, the Mexican-American, Latina/o, and Black populations are the most harmed. There has been distrust of medical settings within my community; It seems as though people never know who to trust. With discrimination, racism, and dissatisfaction and medical abuse with health care services people receive, it is difficult to navigate and confront some health care providers. Anti-abortion fake clinics exacerbate the problem as many, “are not licensed medical providers, though some women report believing they are.” [4] The lack of information of what these clinics actually provide harms my community and increases the mistrust between health care professionals and us.
Politics and religion are deeply entrenched in anti-abortion fake clinics, especially here in Texas. Our attorney general Ken Paxton has sued Yelp over discrimination against crisis pregnancy centers, largely because they labeled them as a separate category from actual abortion clinics. [5] One Texas Center, “Austin LifeCare, warns clients of the purported ‘spiritual, emotional, and psychological effects that can occur after an abortion,’ offering ‘Bible studies’ to cope.” [6] The discouragement and religious-based shame people feel is real, and impacts my community when seeking health care. The Texas Heartbeat Act, which was also known as Senate Bill 8, mislead people at its core, even in the naming as, “doctors acknowledge that while the term ‘heartbeat’ is not medically precise in early pregnancy, it is commonly used with patients to describe electrical or cardiac activity.” [7] This 6-week abortion ban was a deliberate craft to elicit an emotional reaction. Fourteen days after a missed menstrual cycle is not enough time to get the care people need, and puts many in crisis. Anti-abortion fake clinics took advantage of this law, and about “583 abortion-minded and abortion-vulnerable women chose to continue their pregnancies after visiting their [Austin LifeCare’s] facility.” [8] Other tactics Texas anti-abortion fake clinics use is investing in the search engine optimization (SEO) analytics. For example, The Pregnancy Center of the Coastal Bend, an anti-abortion center, appears first in searches for terms like “need an abortion” or “abortion cost Texas” in Corpus Christi. [9] These sorts of tactics mislead people seeking abortion care services and can lead to suffering through misinformation and deception.
The Rio Grande Valley is no stranger to fierce anti-abortion suppression. The Whole Woman’s Health Clinic in McAllen, Texas had been the only abortion clinic left in the Rio Grande Valley since the closing of most clinics across the state in 2014, with another wave of closures in 2017. At that clinic, anti-abortion protesters had used relentless, deceptive tactics such as wearing the same-colored traffic safety vests as the official abortion clinic escorts to confuse and divert people away from driving into the clinic. Some also wore scrubs to signify their trustworthiness, all to deter patients from entering. This persisted from the time the clinic was open back in 2019 through the time it closed. [10, 11] The most extreme and violent event was an arson attack that took place late at night on April 8, 2019 against the clinic. Luckily no one was there at the time, but the threat of violence was heartbreaking and disastrous for medical providers and patients. [12] Since abortion was outlawed in Texas, South Texans for Reproductive Justice launched a campaign to buy the Whole Women’s Clinic building and “managed to raise close to $13,000 from 97 supporters, still far short of their $400,000 goal.” [13] They wanted to “create collaborative workspaces for people doing reproductive justice work in South Texas, including a conference room for trainings.” [14] Sadly, the clinic was instead sold to an anti-abortion pregnancy center. Now the Whole Women’s Clinic has been demolished, but South Texans for Reproductive Justice efforts are ongoing in fight for reproductive justice. [15, 16]
The Texas government has allocated substantial resources, including government support and funding for anti-abortion fake clinics, leaving behind resources communities actually need. This disregard of my community is unacceptable. The harm inflicted on Latinx individuals, coupled with the dissemination of misinformation regarding essential care, is irresponsible, and negatively impacts real lives. Those affected by these laws are now facing restricted access, which fills people like me with anger and serves as a significant motivator for advocating for reproductive and abortion freedom. Despite the lack of government support for abortion care, the knowledge that numerous people and commendable reproductive health and justice organizations persist in providing information and access is a major triumph. I take solace in knowing that my community, along with countless others, stands behind me and supports everyone affected by these limitations.
We are resilient and will continue to persevere. Despite the numerous obstacles Texans have encountered, we now possess the knowledge to develop more effective approaches that will benefit our communities. One step in fighting back is learning about all the anti-abortion fake clinics near us, who not only promote bad faith medicine but also make it easier for disinformation to spread. Remember to check out the anti-abortion fake clinics near you using our Fake Clinic Database! Everyone deserves accurate information and resources regarding abortion care.
Sources:
1 – https://www.texastribune.org/2021/06/08/texas-abortion-budget/
2 – https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/02/crisis-pregnancy-centers-texas-sex-ed/
3 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9189146/
7 – https://www.texastribune.org/2021/09/02/texas-abortion-heartbeat-bill/
8 – https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/20/texas-abortion-law-teen-mom/
9 – https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/31/pregnancy-center-of-the-coastal-bend-expansion/
11 – https://www.facebook.com/sotx4rj/videos/793940140785089/?mibextid=zDhOQc
13 – https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/04/texas-abortion-clinic-pregnancy-crisis-center/
14 – https://pages.donately.com/sotx4rj/campaign/save-a-landmark-build-a-reproductive-justice-future/