Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

So I’d like to tell my personal story about PCPs. When I was 16 I unexpectedly got pregnant. I lived in a very rural town in the Midwest, which meant there was no access to Planned Parenthood or any place where I could get real information. My parents told me they would kick me out of the house if it ever happened so I was afraid to talk to them. Most actual healthcare facilities wouldn’t take me without a guardian because I wasn’t old enough to legally sign my paperwork. There was, however, a building in town with a large sign outside offering free ultrasounds. When I looked them up they also claimed to offer free prenatal care, free baby furniture, clothes, diapers, etc. at the time I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to keep the pregnancy or not, but I was with a partner that supported me and I would’ve considered it. By the time I wound up going there I’d pretty much made up my mind that I was far enough in that I was going to keep it. So I went in and they asked me all kinds of really personal questions that made me very uncomfortable. They asked me for my full name, the names of my partner and my parents, they asked where I lived, where I went to school, where I worked, where my parents worked, where my partner lived.... I found out later that they weren’t required to keep any of that confidential, so if I’d gone elsewhere and terminated the pregnancy they could’ve shown up at my work or my school or my home and harassed me for it. They finish the questionnaire by asking “How would you feel knowing that God wants to help you?” And I almost had to keep myself from laughing, like ‘I feel a lot better if you wanted to help me’. After all these really uncomfortable questions were done they took me back and ran a drug store pregnancy test, basically the same type that I took at home. It came back positive but they informed me that their ultrasound tech was not in that day, and only was in during a time that I was at school; So basically if I wanted the free ultrasound that they offered specifically to teenage mothers I would have to skip class and try to not get caught. So one morning I did exactly that. I skipped class and tried to get back before they noticed I was gone. I went in, and before the ultrasound started they asked me how far in I was. I told them I was about three months in. They informed me that I would not be getting an ultrasound that day, because I was past their cut off. What they meant by that was that I was past the cut off for an abortion in the state that I lived in. So, even though I had already decided to keep the pregnancy and I needed medical help they turned me away because they couldn’t persuade me out of getting an abortion. They just didn’t care at that point. The whole reason why I wanted an ultrasound was because I was worried, I haven’t had any medical check ups during my pregnancy. I was worried there might be issues, that something might go wrong. They told me that everything was definitely fine and that my body was made to have a baby. Turns out I actually have a hemorrhaging issue that we didn’t know about before, and that I have a hereditary abnormality that makes it hard for me to carry pregnancies. Had I gone to an actual clinic they would’ve been able to tell me that after getting an ultrasound, they would’ve been able to prepare me for the risks and monitor me if not out right said that my pregnancy was too dangerous. Instead I found out about seven months in when I suddenly started pouring blood. I had no access to a doctor. I was home alone. No one knew there was any risk with me so no one was keeping an eye on me. I bled so much I went into shock and almost died. I gave birth to a stillborn, very premature, alone at home. The whole experience would’ve been really traumatizing even if I’d been older or been prepared for it. Even now, almost a decade later, I still have psychological issues because of it that I’m working through. It’s left a scar on me that’s going to take a long time to recover from, if I ever recover from it. And all of this could’ve been avoided if I’d had access to an actual clinic like Planned Parenthood. I’m genuinely disgusted by these PCPs and what they do to women.

The person who lied to that woman about how long she can wait before getting an abortion should be legally forced to pay for raising that child.

Inpersonate a cop to take someone's $50 for a fake speeding ticket? You are going to prison for 10 years. Inperaonate a doctor and ruin countless women's lives? You get a tax break for religious reasons.

Years ago I was pregnant but due to high stress issues my baby stopped growing. I was told if I didn’t terminate via an operation that I would miscarry eventually and could die along with my baby. At that exact time the gov’t was trying to pass a law that would prohibit me from doing so because she had a heartbeat. They were willing to let me die just because my baby had a heartbeat although she would never make it to term. No lady, no one, no female at all takes abortion lightly. It’s a deeply personal decision regardless of what stage you are in. It’s ok if you are pro-life but I don’t think most people who are, specifically men, truly understand the countless layers of why women make these incredibly deep life changing decisions. If you’re so pro-life you should be pro-birth control and pro-paid family leave. How do you take a women’s choices away and then leave her helpless to care for her child? That same woman will end up on govt assistance and conservatives will call her a leech, the same ones who refused to let her terminate. I just don’t understand it.

"She stays on the table until she wants the baby." I've never wanted to punch an old woman in the face until now!

I’ve been in one of these. They stated online that they did abortions. They stated over the phone that they did abortions. My husband and I went and got some papers we had to fill out. At the bottom under a lot of text, I was supposed to sign. In that text: they don’t do abortions. I got up and handed them back an unfinished packet and told them I had to go. I came under the impression that they did abortions, which they did not. “Oh well we should just take you back to make sure” The two pregnancy tests were pretty convincing. So was the blood test from the hospital a week later with the news that I was five weeks. “Can’t we talk about this” We didn’t. “Let’s just talk about your options”. Three older women kept just repeating that over and over at me. I was raised not to walk away from a conversation. By the end of it, I had to finally tell them that I had to. There wasn’t a choice in it. We can’t afford a kid. We can hardly afford to care for ourselves, and only one of us even has health insurance. I was having an emotional breakdown because of their badgering. They shut up, and we left. I hated that place. I still do, honestly. Edit: Thank you, everyone, for being so supportive! I really appreciate it, you have no idea! Thank you so so much! ❤️

that OB/GYN angrily explaining how the CPC had lied to that woman made me feel so comforted. she was so indignant for her patient, and even respected her as a full person by saying 'she had been using drugs throughout the pregnancy, so very responsibly decided to end the pregnancy.'

Barbara: "Mother's are designed to die for their babies, not for their babies to die for them." Me: "Let me introduce you to several animal species, the mothers of which will abandon or eat their own young in lean times. Just to start with."

How it isn't illegal in the US to impersonate a medical facility and trick people into thinking you have any medical knowledge or training is beyond me.

Even if condoms had a 20% failure rate that means they have a 80% sucess rate. And this is a fact 80% effective is better than 0% effective.

A friend of mine got herself an abortion a few months ago. Reasons being: 1) It was not the right time for her to have a baby. She was not financially stable enough to raise a child or be checked in to a hospital for childbirth. (She took the pill, she was covered and cleared by her doctor). 2) Her family would have disowned her if she told them she was pregnant without being married. She lives at home, and would have been kicked out. 3) She did not want to put a child through the system after reading the statistics. She wanted to raise and protect a child of her own, on her own time, and she was not ready for that. Another friend of mine got impregnated via rape and also got an abortion (couple years ago). You cannot, in good conscience, call her a monster for not wanting to keep something growing inside of her against her will. She didn't WANT the baby. The man who raped her hurt her. She didn't want to continue HIS legacy. She has a wonderful Fiancé now, and he told her that he didn't care about having kids until she was ready to do so. (Honestly he's a gem and I'm so damn happy that she has a good guy!) ~~~~ In the first situation: Yes, she should have been using protection, but she made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. She has learned and is taking steps to avoid situations like that. In the second scenario: if she had carried the baby to term, it would have been a constant reminder of the horrendous things she had to go through. It would be a scar on her memory. It is devastating whenever someone needs an abortion, yes. However, robbing the woman of the choice to stop if she's not ready is wrong. Would you condemn my friends? They put a lot of thought into their decisions.

I wanted to keep my daughter and was in an abusive relationship. I went to one of these centers truly seeking help. I don't know who they help but the only options they presented me were to give her away to strangers. I pulled through myself. She's a happy, healthy 11 year old in gifted and talented classes and it wasn't thanks to their help! I'm pro choice all the way but thought I should share they don't even help people who do want to have their child. At least not me.

Force them to have a baby and then ‘cut them off’. These people are evil.

These organizations are absolutely morally horrifying. I went to a conservative Christian school from Kindergarten through high school. I honestly have no idea how much of my tuition went towards funding these CPCs. All of my sex ed was actually taught by the local CPC. I cannot explain to you how terrifying it is to hear the quote, "If you got pregnant, even through rape, it is completely your fault and you should love your baby no matter what." I've been told that condoms don't work, that the pills don't work, and it's truly my fault that these things don't work because of "human's sinful nature." To this day, I hate how I was taught and I guarantee you that nothing has changed. These need to go as soon as possible.

My brother’s wife AND my husband’s sister both had to get abortions with their first pregnancies due to medical issues. Both babies did not develop fully and not only would the babies not survive the pregnancy, they were putting both women in danger. The decision was heartbreaking for both of them, but they both chose to go forward with the procedure. They wouldn’t perform the procedure in the hospital so both had to go to an abortion clinic. My husband’s sister got accosted by protesters as she was walking in to the clinic! The most heart wrenching day of her life and she was accosted because she had to get an abortion to save her own life! If the government wants to put so many restrictions on these clinics, they should let them be done in an actual hospital!

that awkward moment when people care more about an unborn fetus than the millions of kids in foster homes and orphanages across the US......

My mom sells eyeglasses and she has to follow HIPPA laws, how the fuck does a 'clinic' not have to do the same

Kinda appropriate that CPC's would employ the same tactics as sexual predators

"jelly on the belly" is just an awesome ad for pulling out

A pastor working for a CPC harassed me while I was just getting my birth control implant replaced at a Planned Parenthood. My partner punched him out cold onto the icy ground. Planned Parenthood had footage of him trying to pull me away from the doors so my partner wasn't charged but the pastor was (trespassing and assault) I was so pleased. I still giggle about it.