I heard that Pregnancy Centers are fake clinics.
If you’re a regular on social media or have an interest in the news, you have undoubtedly heard the debate surrounding Pregnancy Resource Clinics being called out as “fake clinics”. If you want to understand our side of the story, we’ve taken the time to refute some of the most popular arguments. We cannot speak for every Pregnancy Center, but can speak for our own. Here is the truth about what we do and the services we provide at the Pregnancy Resource Centers of Central Oregon.
An article written by Kendall and posted on the Planned Parenthood Tumbler page gave 4 reasons why Pregnancy Centers are designed to be deceptive.
- They use the ol’ bait-n-switch to trick vulnerable people into thinking they’ll get legit health care and counseling. I’m not clear what “the ol’ bait-n-switch trick” she is referring to as our nursing staff are required to be registered RN’s and our consulting staff receives extensive training as they onboard and complete required training sessions quarterly. All medical information shared has been reviewed by a national board and by our Medical Director.
- They are not staffed by doctors, nurses, ultrasound techs or other real health care professionals. As mentioned above, all of our nursing staff are registered RN’s and our ultrasound techs are required to be RN’s and to be certified ultrasound technicians. We have a licensed medical doctor who oversees our centers and reviews every ultrasound. Each of our centers has a fully qualified health care professional available.
- They say abortion causes breast cancer, sterility and long-term psychological damage. We talk openly and honestly about abortion; the process, the types, the timing, the physical risks, the emotions involved and the long-term effects from the procedure. Ultimately we want a woman to know how abortion can affect her life now and in the future. We realize it’s a big decision that needs to be made wisely and without pressure or haste.
- They provide misleading information about the side effects and failure rates of birth control and condoms. Birth control, it’s side effects and failure rates is not something we discuss on a regular basis. If the discussion of birth control and its usage is needed, our nurses will answer any questions within their scope of training and will refer clients to discuss it further with their doctors.
- They use manipulative tactics to get pregnant women to delay real counseling or medical care until it’s too late for a legal abortion. We find this statement unrealistic since in the state of Oregon abortion is legal up until the child is born. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of care and compassion and would never manipulate a woman to delay services. In fact, it is just the opposite. We will talk to woman about abortion procedures and the window of time she has for the different types of services (pill, surgical or other abortion procedures). This gives her the clarity to make factual decisions regarding her health care.
- They subject people to religious and ideological propaganda against abortion, birth control, condoms, and/or sexual activity, instead of giving non-biased, factual information about their sexual health. Again, we provide factual information. Nothing we hand out is secretive, manipulative or propaganda. Yes, if appropriate, we ask our clients if we can pray with them or for them. If they say no, we respect their response and their personal beliefs. It’s as simple as that.
- They set up shop very close to legitimate reproductive health centers, hoping to confuse patients. Lastly, this is false. Our center is located more than a mile from the nearest Planned Parenthood and we are not in the business of confusing patients.
She ends her article stating: “Often they won’t give you any information about their services at all over the phone, demanding that you visit the CPC in person. A health center that is not up front about their services is probably up to no good. Sad face.” Indeed, this is sad. If you have read this far and are still not convinced that the Pregnancy Resource Centers of Central Oregon is a place where women can come and get honest answers in a non-judgmental, caring environment, then call us. We will tell you over the phone exactly what we do and what you can expect when you visit us. Of course we will invite you to make an appointment, because we care about you. We will try to answer your questions up-front and with honesty and integrity.
Well, after so much of the article written by Kendall making incorrect assumptions about every Pregnancy Center, there is one thing we can agree on. At the end of her article, Kendall states “Everyone deserves quality, factual, non-judgement medical care.” To that we can say, YES.
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If you need quality, factual, non-judgmental medical care when you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant, give us a call, stop by or make an appointment online. We would be glad to help.