Statement from Reproaction Executive Director Erin Matson

in Response to Vandalism Outside Anti-Abortion Fake Clinics

Washington, D.C. – In response to recent vandalism outside anti-abortion fake clinics, Reproaction co-founder and executive director Erin Matson released the following statement:

“For years Reproaction has been the national leader in non-violent direct action and innovative community organizing to protest anti-abortion fake clinics.

Anti-abortion fake clinics are the harmful ‘conversion therapy’ wing of the anti-abortion movement. They exist to mislead and shame people seeking abortion care. Often and inexcusably, they receive public funding to do so.

There are more than 2,600 anti-abortion fake clinics in the United States, and every single one of them deserves to be protested. Many anti-abortion fake clinics depend on presenting themselves as if they were not anti-abortion, but rather neutral and legitimate health care providers – after some of our protests, we’ve seen anti-abortion fake clinics change their name. 

Emotions are rightfully high in anticipation of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn the federal constitutional right to abortion. Peacefully protesting anti-abortion fake clinics is a great way to organize our communities in support of abortion access, and we’d love to see more of it.

Reproaction has had to weigh delaying some planned direct actions outside of anti-abortion fake clinics that have been vandalized because we know our protests work best when we can keep 100 percent of the focus on the harm these anti-abortion fake clinics are causing: 

• No one should be told they are going to go to hell and be required to sit through dehumanizing religious instruction in exchange for a pack of diapers they can’t afford. 

• No one should be denied an abortion they want and need.

• No one should be lied to about how their body works.

Vandalizing anti-abortion fake clinics does not help people seeking abortions. What it does do is fuel the right’s false claims of victimization, all while they target and harass abortion providers, patients, and staff. Non-violence is widely practiced within the reproductive and progressive movements, and it is how we win.

Anti-abortion fake clinics deserve exactly zero dollars and zero cents in public funding, and the Big Tech companies enabling them must be held accountable for the disinformation they allow anti-abortion fake clinics to spread online. Please check out Reproaction’s Fake Clinic Database to locate the anti-abortion fake clinics in your community, and engage with our #BadFaithMedicine campaign – here’s an activist toolkit to help you take action in your community. We’d love to join up with new activists interested in non-violent direct action!”

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