Transcript | Ep. 100: The Crisis Pregnancy Center Scam

Cristen: So if we look at the big picture, in the US, where are crisis pregnancy centers generally?

Andrea: Good question. They're everywhere.

Cristen: Ah! That's such a scary answer.

[Theme music]

Caroline: Cristen, happy ONE HUNDREDTH Unladylike episode!

Cristen: You too! We’re so old!

Caroline: To “celebrate,” this milestone we’re sorta coming full circle from our very first episode of Unladylike, How to Pay for an Abortion.

Cristen: Yeah, and we’re saying “celebrate” in quotes because, today, we’re exploring the duplicitous, Jesus-y, anti-abortion world of crisis pregnancy centers, also known as pregnancy resource centers.

Caroline: What are crisis pregnancy centers, you ask? They’re non-profit, non-medical organizations whose purpose is to discourage pregnant folks from accessing abortions. But they’re often mistaken for abortion clinics — at least on the outside.

Beth: I realized I was probably in a crisis pregnancy center when I was, like, waiting. And I could see some of the books had some, like, religious-leaning titles. And I was like, oh, fuck, I know what this is. Oh, shit.

Cristen: They’re like, we don't have any treatments, but we do have a lot of prayer.

Beth: Yeah.

Cristen: A few years ago, our first guest, Beth Vial, accidentally ended up at a crisis pregnancy center, which is easier to do than you might think!

Caroline: Yeah so a few weeks ago we polled Unladylike listeners about crisis pregnancy centers, and while nearly half responded that they were fully aware of CPCs and their sneakiness, the rest of the responses were evenly split between “vaguely aware” and “what the fuck is a CPC??”

Cristen: Granted, that was an unscientific survey, sure, but it’s pretty surprising we aren’t more aware of them. After all, crisis pregnancy centers now outnumber abortion clinics in the US more than 3 to 1. The state of Texas, for example, is now down to about 20 abortion clinics ... and more than TWO HUNDRED CPCs.

Caroline: And as today’s second guest — Dr. Andrea Swartzendruber — has found, CPCs aren’t just growing like weeds in red states. They’re all over the country AND often supported by federal and state funding.

Andrea: I don't think we can get rid of crisis pregnancy centers. I don't think it's possible to eliminate them. But at least people should know what they offer, what they don't offer, and be able to make up their own minds about about whether they want to seek services at at a crisis pregnancy center or not.

Cristen: Andrea is an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Georgia. She’s also one of the first and only public health experts studying what the fuck is up with all these CPCs popping up all over place and what really goes on inside them.

Caroline: So today, with help from Beth and Andrea, we’re gonna get to the bottom of what to expect when you’re NOT expecting to wind up at a crisis pregnancy center.

[Stinger]

Beth: When I came back and was sitting in the office waiting for my doctor and she came in and told me that I was, in fact, pregnant. I was pretty shocked. I was immediately the words out of my mouth was like, that's not possible. I was told, I can't get pregnant. So something must be must be wrong. Something must be off.

Caroline: Beth Vial was, in fact, pregnant. The reason she didn’t believe it at first was because a few years earlier, when she was 19, Beth was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome — and her doctors told her at the time that she’d likely need medical intervention if she ever wanted to get pregnant

Cristen: Beth also suffers from irritable bowel syndrome. So. Due to her PCOS, she doesn’t get a monthly period. And because of IBS, she often experiences nausea and abdominal pain. But in 2017, when Beth was 22, she felt something … strange.

Beth: I'd been feeling uncomfortable in my midsection in a way, like in my torso and my lower stomach in a way that, like, was really close to normal but was just off that I was like, hmm, I should probably get that checked out

Caroline: Beth took an at-home pregnancy test just to be sure — and it came back negative.

Beth: I was pretty certain that something else was going on. I also at the time was dealing. I was leaving a toxic relationship and I was dealing with unstable housing. So my health wasn't my first priority. I was you know looking for stability first and foremost before I could actually seek out and like pay attention and like listen to my body.

Cristen: She was still on her parents’ health insurance, so she decided to go see her primary care doctor about it. The next available appointment was five weeks later.

Caroline: When Beth arrived, a nurse had her take another pregnancy test. That was just part of the routine for a checkup since she doesn’t get a period. So Beth was completely taken by surprise when the doctor told her the test came back positive.

Beth: But she did a little in clinic sonogram and in fact, I was pregnant. But because I don't menstruate, she wasn't able to tell me how far along I might be. So then I needed to seek an ultrasound elsewhere.

Caroline: Typically, doctors can ballpark gestational age, or how far along pregnancies are, by counting backward to the last menstrual period. But again, because Beth doesn’t GET a period, she needed what’s sometimes called a fetal or pregnancy ultrasound. It creates a high-quality image of the fetus that lets you estimate gestational age based on its size.

Cristen: Even though Beth had health insurance through her parents, things weren’t great between them, and she wasn’t about to risk them finding out she was pregnant.

Beth: So I had asked my doctor if she could refer me to any free or sliding-scale, low-income clinics. And she said she would have to do some research and get back to me. From there, I got a call from the medical assistant that there was a free clinic available, but it's in like two towns over and that's like the only thing they could come up with. So it was worth a shot. And so I had to drive several towns over to to access this supposed clinic.

Cristen: Yeah. Did she describe it to you as just sort of sounds like just a generic clinic, or did she call it like a pregnancy resource center or anything?

Beth: She, to me, it sounded like she didn't know. I mean, I don't know. Here's what I do know is that it was my my primary care physician’s office. And I've been going there since I was a kid. So I knew everyone in the office really well. And I knew most of the medical assistants came from a pretty religious background. But I didn't. I had no reason to believe at that point time that I would end up at a crisis pregnancy center.

Cristen: Beth had heard of CPCs before, but she’d assumed that they just didn’t exist in her liberal corner of the country. I mean, she was living in Portland, Oregon!

Beth: I was under the impression they were in the Midwest and the South because any one I had heard of prior was - that's where they were located. But I, like, had no idea that they would. And it makes sense that I think about it now. But at the time, I was like, oh, it's just a free clinic. And I don't know what a free clinic is like because I've never had to go to one before. I've always had my mom's insurance.

Cristen: Like we mentioned at the top of the show, CPCs are not medical clinics. They’re Christian-based, mostly volunteer-run organizations intent on convincing pregnant women to HAVE THOSE BABIES!

Caroline: The crisis pregnancy center Beth was referred to was in a suburban strip mall just outside Portland.

Beth: There was like an antique store and like a small restaurant and just like just an office building, like stuff that I didn't like wouldn't pay any attention to. And like, their sign is really nondescript. It says Pregnancy Resource Center in like a nice pretty font and like nice like light colors and.

Cristen: Some nice pastels.

Beth: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's like mint green and light pink and lavender, and it's like Easter.

Cristen: I'm sure they fucking love Easter. Sorry.

Beth: And you go in, and it's, you know, like soft music and like dulcet tones and the smell of baby powder and like everything's very like muted and like pastel and supposed to be like comforting. They make you take a pregnancy test, but you, like, take the pregnancy test and then you come out, and they take it from you, and then they make you like you like pee in a cup, and then they make you use a dropper to put your pee on the stick. And it's literally like a pregnancy test from the box that you could get at the store. I was like, why am I doing this again? But it's like so they can prove that I'm pregnant for their - for their sake.

Caroline: As Beth knew it would, pregnancy test number 3 came back positive. Next, she had to sit down with one of the volunteer counselors - emphasis on volunteer. According to the American Medical Association's Journal of Ethics, most CPCs aren’t medically licensed and are NOT staffed by medical professionals.

Cristen: Over the next hour, that volunteer counselor asked Beth about her values, her family, her former partner, even her political leanings.

Beth: I was like, OK, but what does this have to do with my, appointment? Like, what does it have to do with getting an ultrasound? And they were like, oh, you know, we have to like it. It's just customary. It's just policy. OK. You know, I'm willing to do whatever to like get the information I need because I'm feeling, you know, panicked because I have an unintended pregnancy, and I have no idea what that like what the circumstances of that look like, because I don't know how far along I am. I don't know what my options are. I don't know what the timeline of anything is. What I don't have. I'm just like actively trying to I'm like, I'll do whatever. Talk to me. Tell me about our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. And just like nodding my head along being like, OK, yeah, great.

Caroline: Only after the counseling session did they tell Beth the nurse who could administer an ultrasound wasn’t actually in. Instead, she had to schedule another appointment at a different CPC. And even though Beth was feeling uneasy, she was desperate, and the clock was ticking.

Cristen: A few days later, she went to that second CPC, where she had to take another pregnancy test and had to sit through another hour of counseling.

Caroline: Finally, they brought her back to a harshly lit exam room with a giant TV screen on the wall. One of the staff members asked Beth how she planned to handle the pregnancy.

Beth: And I was like, oh, well, you know, if I can, I'd like I'd like to have an abortion. Like, I'm not really. This is not like a fit for me. It's not really what I had in my life plan. And it's not something I'd like to continue with. And from there, their, their whole demeanor changed. I was sitting in the chair getting the ultrasound, and I had asked I was like, you know, I'd rather not see it. You know, I just like we'd like to kind of get in and get out. And instead, they blew it up on their huge screen for - it was like huge. And I was like, oh, OK. Rude. Like I just explicitly asked you not to do that, but. Cool. So I turned my head away, and I was like looking at my friend and talking to her and trying to stay distracted cause this was emotional. You know, I was already dealing with so many other things, and I'm like tearing up because I'm just like, I don't. There's a lot going through my mind. I'm feeling frustrated that this is taking us so long as a whole process, like it's taken almost a week to get any information because of all the hoops I've had to jump through.

Cristen: Despite Beth’s objections, the woman performing the ultrasound started to point out things on that giant screen on the wall.

Beth: She would say things like, “Oh, let's look over here. Oh, let's measure this, let's measure that, let's look.” And when I was like actively ignoring her, she said, “Oh, let's go. Let's go see if the head is still attached.” And I, like, whipped my head around. I was like, excuse me. Like. I was just. I was I was mad at that point. I was like, I want to get out of here. And that's when I knew exactly what I was dealing with. Like I had my like I had an idea before. And I was like, OK, we'll just see how it goes. And at that point, I was like, nope, we're leaving. Like, I. This is not how you treat people. This is incredibly disrespectful. I just need my information. I'm going to leave. So they print off all the information, give me more pamphlets, all that. They tell me that I'm 16 weeks along and they send me on my way.

Caroline: But even though Beth was done with the CPCs, they were not done with her ….

Beth: They call me like two to three times a day every day for the next week or so, leaving me voicemails like calling and checking in on me, seeing what my what if I've made up my mind. You know, if I need anything. But, you know, I was aware enough to know that any service they could provide me came with strings attached. So I was ignoring their calls. And finally I just picked up and I was like, don't don't fucking call me anymore, Like. My choice is to terminate. And they're like, “Oh, why?” And I was like it's none of your business. And I hung up the phone they didn't call back after that.

Caroline: Nice. Nice.

Beth: Yeah, I was I was stern.

Caroline: How did that feel?

Beth: You know, all things considered good. Like, I was I was like, I don't need your harassment. I'm already trying to navigate enough right now. Like, you can get lost.

Cristen: We’re going to take a quick break. When we come back, our public health expert, Dr. Andrea Swarzendruber, pulls back the curtain on how crisis pregnancy centers get away with their anti-abortion chicanery, and where they came from to begin with.

Caroline: Then later, Beth receives another pregnancy shocker ...

Cristen: Stick around

[Stinger]

Caroline: We’re back. And Cristen, one of the most stunning facts about crisis pregnancy centers is just how many there are. There’s at least one in all 50 states, and more than 2600 across the country.

Cristen: Yeah, CPCs easily outnumber the 800 or so abortion clinics in the US. And that’s where our next guest, public health expert and crisis pregnancy center researcher Dr. Andrea Swartzendruber, comes in

Caroline: How is it possible that we have that there is such a huge amount of crisis pregnancy centers, what has allowed them to flourish and seemingly to flourish so fast?

Andrea: One, crisis pregnancy centers have been around for actual decades. My field in public health has an only more recently kind of paid attention to them. They are supported through grass work, grass roots kind of organizing and churches and communities.

Cristen: That grassroots organizing around crisis pregnancy centers started in the late 1960s in Hawaii. That’s where a very Catholic, very anti-abortion guy named Robert Pearson opened the country’s first known CPC in 1967.

Caroline: Hawaii was one of the states that had already legalized abortion before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. So Pearson opened up a space meant to attract vulnerable pregnant women and convince them not to terminate. He called it a “pro-life outreach crisis pregnancy center” and set about evangelizing to other anti-abortionists to start their own.

Cristen: In 1984, he published How to Open and Operate Your Own Pro-Life Outreach Crisis Pregnancy Center. The manual includes hot tips like this recommended response if a visitor asks whether they’re at a pro-life center: “We are a pregnancy testing center ... What is pro-life?”

Caroline: By the 90s, crisis pregnancy centers were an organized grassroots movement with steady financing from evangelical and Catholic groups. And since then, they’ve been making their way into the mainstream, thanks to increasing cash flows from both church AND state.

Andrea: More and more, they are receiving government funding and support both from at the state level, the federal level and actually crisis pregnancy centers have received you know federal funding for decades. They've received over the years or received a lot of a lot of federal funding for in order to teach sexual abstinence sex education. So I think it's part funding. I think it's part people who align with them with that mission and and ideology. And in some you know, in some places I would conjecture it only has to be, you know, political affiliation and support too. For example, here in Georgia, you know, they created a law, even, went through our legislation to provide this grant program that fund directly funds centers in our state.

Caroline: That law has funneled more than $6 million of taxpayer money into Georgia CPCs — and that includes OUR tax dollars, Cristen!

Cristen: When Andrea got wind of that legislation about five years ago, she was also like, what the WHAT?? So, like a good academic, Andrea started poking around and found there was almost no public health research on crisis pregnancy centers. In other words, Georgia was (and still is) using public resources to support medically uninformed policies! So, she kept on Googling …

Caroline: Specifically, Andrea wanted to see how crisis pregnancy centers present themselves online and what kinds of resources and services they advertise. What she found was CPCs sharing TONS of inaccurate and anti-abortion misinformation — and disinformation. From Andrea's public health perspective, it raised a ton of red flags

Andrea: And not only do crisis pregnancy centers oppose abortion, they also have policies against using and promoting, providing contraception too. So although they have a lot of policies and anti-contraception stance, position, they provide a lot of information about contraceptives on their websites. A lot of it is really inaccurate or biased. The types of things we saw were like some types of contraceptives cause abortion. Well, that's not actually the case. And that, you know, how risky contraceptives are. And that's not the case either.

Cristen: She clocked all sorts of false claims on CPC websites. Like that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility or mental health problems.

Cristen: She also found that many CPCs advertise their pregnancy testing as medical and lab-grade, when in fact, they are the same urine-based tests you can get at a drugstore.

Caroline: And even though CPCs are inherently anti-abortion, they don’t come right out and say it.

Andrea: I think it was less than half of CPCs in Georgia, didn't put anywhere on their website that they don't provide referrals to abortion or that actually that they're trying to talk people out of abortion.

Caroline: So who is the most vulnerable to this sort of misleading information and straight up disinformation?

Andrea: CPCs particularly target their advertising and services to some of the same groups who are most impacted by unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. And those include young people, especially young people who, you know, may be on their parents insurance and are looking for free services. And in Georgia and many other places across the country lack comprehensive, good quality sex education to understand their needs, understand their resources that are available, and may be vulnerable to believing the misinformation that CPCs put out. In many places in Georgia and elsewhere, folks of color and people who live in low-income households, I think are also really vulnerable to the attraction of CPC services, which are provided for free. And have - those groups also have, you know, high rates of unintended pregnancy and infections. And CPCs try to target themselves to those populations too.

Cristen: One one thing that really surprised - has surprised me is how easy it is to accidentally Google your way on to a crisis pregnancy center website. Like, literally, that happened to me once. Oh, my God. How did I end up on a CPC website? It was shocking to me how much it seemed like these facilities have really tapped into search engines and just the power of the Internet.

Andrea: Absolutely, and we found through our research that that many, many people, you know, find find CPCs by Googling, trying to find the services that they are looking for. The problem is that they often when people are searching, they CPCs pop up on keywords and search terms of services they don't offer. if I if I'm sitting in my office in Athens, Georgia, and I ask Siri on my telephone, where can I find birth control near me? There are two responses. And both of them are crisis pregnancy centers, one down the street and one 22 miles away. It's very easy to get on a CPC website when you're - when you're not looking for one.

Cristen: That’s intentional. CPCs spend a lot of money on search engine optimization. Reproductive rights advocates have tried to get Google to enforce policies against deceptive advertising … but it’s not the only thing driving traffic to CPCs.

Andrea: In Georgia and many other places, you need a proof of pregnancy to get on Medicaid, for example. So even if you have no intent, you know, you perfectly planned to parent, have a child. In order to qualify for Medicaid, you need to show proof of pregnancy. And so many people go to crisis pregnancy centers to get a piece of paper that says they're pregnant when they're basically using the home, you know, home pregnancy test.

Cristen: But many of the resources CPCs offer come with strings attached. So like in exchange for taking classes or going to Bible studies, for instance, you can earn “mommy money” or “baby bucks” to then redeem at your CPC for stuff like diapers, baby clothes, and car seats.

Andrea: But some people find those resources and are in need of those resources and are grateful for those resources. We also know from some of our participants that many people feel like they got support at a crisis pregnancy center. There was someone there to listen who wasn't rushed for time, who sat with them and heard learned about their lives. And some many people were prayed for. And some of those people that felt good to them. So I wouldn't say there are no benefits to crisis pregnancy centers and that some people value them. I personally am concerned about their impact to - on health for individuals and and families, though.

Cristen: It also sounds like the while there might not be a dollar cost to the resources. It sounds like there is still a cost of a a mother or a pregnant person's time?

Andrea: Time and energy. Yeah, for sure. It's not it's not free. You know, like there. There is no input. It's it's totally based on further engagement with with the center.

Caroline: So tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like crisis pregnancy centers are intentionally misleading?

Andrea: Yeah. So the intentionality is really hard to prove, right. But they certainly are misleading. We have all kinds of data, you know, to show that, you know, that not only putting out misleading information, but people who've gone to crisis pregnancy centers for services are in fact misled. They find something different than what they thought the center was or there's still a hold misconceptions, even after that, you know, they left the crisis pregnancy centers. So crisis pregnancy centers in some ways, you know, they tried to look very medical and they, you know, established themselves and try to advertise themselves as medical clinics. But then, you know, in other ways they cite that, you know, their free speech laws and that they are religious organizations.

Cristen: For example, California had passed a law that would require CPCs to distribute abortion information. BUT in 2018, the Supreme Court struck that law down. They ruled that the law violated the First Amendment by compelling speech. In other words, they said, yo California, you can’t force folks to say things they don’t want to.

Caroline: That means it's gotten easier for CPCs to mis- and disinform folks. And it’s also gotten easier for CPCs to get federal funding through a program called Title X.

Cristen: Yeah, Title X has been around for decades, and it's the only federal funding program that covers family planning services and health screenings for low-income Americans. But even though CPCs rarely even provide condoms, the Trump administration has approved millions of Title X dollars for them — basically claiming that CPCs' abstinence-only approach qualifies as family planning.

Caroline: And get a load of THIS, y’all: Crisis pregnancy centers have received at least $4 million in federal disaster relief loans meant to keep small businesses afloat during COVID.

Cristen: On soooo many levels, crisis pregnancy centers continue succeeding by camouflaging their non-medical, anti-abortion intentions from patients and providers alike

Andrea: I mean, overall, I think there really is low awareness, even among people who are working in reproductive health or reproductive rights. I think there's really low awareness about what crisis pregnancy centers are, their mission and the risk that they pose.

Caroline: One of Andrea’s recent studies bears that out. She had research assistants call all the Georgia health clinics that receive federal funding for family planning services. The researchers asked for an abortion referral … but less than half of the clinics they contacted would provide one.

Cristen: Of those clinics that provided referrals, nearly a THIRD of them were to crisis pregnancy centers. WHICH DO NOT OFFER ABORTIONS!

Andrea: So even among, I think, health care workers there, there low awareness about what crisis pregnancy centers are, because we found that many of them, when they make a referral for abortion services, are sending them to a crisis pregnancy center. And I worry about just the general public knowing what a crisis pregnancy center is.

Caroline: Cristen, this is exactly what happened to Beth! Beth went to her primary care physician, and she unintentionally ended up at not one, but TWO crisis pregnancy centers.

Cristen: When we come back, we’ll pick back up with Beth and hear what an ACTUAL ob-gyn told her after she jumped through all those CPC hoops.

Caroline: Don’t go away

[Stinger]

Beth: You know, it was just important to me to have information so I can make an informed decision. I wanted accurate information, which, you know, I don't feel like is asking for a lot.

Cristen: Right?

Cristen: We’re back with Beth Vial. When we left off, staffers at a CPC had just told Beth that she was 16 weeks pregnant … and then wouldn’t stop calling her and trying to talk her out of an abortion.

Caroline: After Beth got fed up and basically told them to go fuck themselves, she hightailed it to a nearby hospital — even if that meant her family would find out what was happening.

Beth: At that time I decided I would just bite the bullet and I would just go to the hospital and I would just handle it. I would just deal with it, just have a conversation with my family. And it would be. However it went, it would go. And I would just deal with it. So I called the hospital, and I explained to them what had happened. I was like, “I just found out I was at a crisis pregnancy center. What's the soonest you can see me? I have no idea how pregnant I am. And I don't trust anyone anymore.”

Cristen: Within a few days Beth had an appointment. A medical technician administered an ultrasound, and then Beth met with an OBGYN who explained what they’d found.

Beth: And they were very respectful. They didn't put it up on the screen. I didn't have to look at anything I didn't want to. They respected the fact that I didn't really feel like talking. And when the doctor came in and was talking to me about you know, what information they had gathered, they were like, you know, everything. Yes. You're pregnant, and you're 26 weeks pregnant, actually.

Caroline: Twenty-six weeks. That put her just one week away from her third trimester. Remember, the crisis pregnancy center had told her she was only 16 weeks along.

Beth: And I was like. So upset I was I'm laughing at it now because, like, it's ridiculous to think that you could get away, like try to get away with misdiagnosing someone's pregnancy by 10 weeks. Like, it just was absurd.

Caroline: OK, so let’s recap. First, Beth was told it'd be nearly impossible for her to GET pregnant because of her PCOS. Then, once she started feeling that weird stomach pain, it took 5 weeks to see her primary care doctor. THEN, that doctor directed her to a crisis pregnancy center, which sent her to ANOTHER crisis pregnancy center … Beth had lost a lot of time.

Cristen: Still, her mind was made up: She told her OB/GYN she was determined to get an abortion.

Beth: I was like, look, this isn't really what I want to do. Like, if it comes down to it and I can't, you know, then I'll address it from there. But like, first things first, like, I can't do this. There's a a whole litany of reasons why this isn't a right fit. Number one being I don't want to. I was unstably housed. I was estranged from my family. I was just starting a new job. So I didn't have any means to support myself more so than another person.

Caroline: The doctor said she would like to perform Beth’s abortion. But there was just one hitch: Because of how advanced the pregnancy was, the hospitals’ perinatal board had to sign off on it, too.

Cristen: At least three of the five doctors on the board had to say yes.

Beth: Ultimately, I only got, like, affirmative votes from two doctors. So I lost due to a simple majority. I just needed one more doctor's go ahead and I could have had my abortion in my hometown, like not far from my home, could have slept in my bed afterwards. But instead, I was left without any options locally.

Cristen: Beth’s doctor referred her to a clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, more than a THOUSAND miles away

Beth: And I told them, you know, this is this is how far along I am. These are my circumstances. Would would I be someone you might be able to see? Because I knew that the law. You know, as Roe v. Wade, you know, has it is like “until viability,” which like states can define differently. Like, it's just kind of murky, you know. So I was like and am I am I good to go? And they're like, yeah, sure. It'll be $10,500. I was like, wow, OK. I live in someone's basement on an air mattress right now. I don't have $10,500. Like I don't know if I can do this. Like I just it like was like literally the only thing keeping me from accessing care was I don't have a way to get there and I don't have a way to afford it. I had like a week to figure out how I was going to pay for the procedure, pay for the travel, take the time off work, just coordinate everything. And that was not nearly enough time. But I did it.

Cristen: The New Mexico clinic put Beth in contact with the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, which gave her $1,000. Another $1,000 came from the National Abortion Federation.

Beth: But that was still $8,500 plus airfare and travel and managing and food

Cristen: And time off work

Beth: Yeah, and everything. So I feel very fortunate that some some family, friends, some good friends of mine, my sister came forward and they told me that they had gone through something similar and that they - someone had helped them afford their abortion and that they would like to help me better afford mine. And so, I mean, what do you do when someone comes out of what feels like nowhere and says, “Here I have the answer to your problem”? Like, it's hard to accept that much money, honestly like. And they didn't they didn't pay for all of it, but they paid for my flight and they paid for a good chunk, my deposit. My prescriptions. They, it was immensely helpful. And I feel very lucky because that's you know, that's my I have the privilege of being in proximity to wealth, someone who had just had that money and was able to give it. Like not many people have have people in their periphery like that. So that's what helped, like made it so that I could go. And yeah, that was two weeks off of work, one week for the procedure and one week for recovery. But, you know, everyone was immensely supportive and helpful. You know, I had people rallying around me, which was incredibly special because I had felt so isolated throughout the whole experience prior to that.

Caroline: What do you wish that people listening understood about crisis pregnancy centers?

Beth: That they're they're pretty good at disguising themselves? You know, I I'm lucky. I grew up in a state that mandates sexual education. So, like, there are lots of states that are abstinence only. And I feel lucky that I knew that there - what my options were generally ahead of time. You know, what might have been going on. You know, they're really good at advertising, like the. They're very vague in their advertising. They're like pregnant, scared or unsure. Here's someone you can talk to. Like, do you just need someone to talk to you? We're here for you, like, whatever you want, which is not true. You know. They get away with pedaling medical misinformation, and so how is someone supposed to make informed consent when they're only being fed inaccurate information?

Cristen: Since getting her abortion, Beth has been doing what she can to ensure that others don't have to go through what she did. She now works with We Testify.. the National Network of Abortion Funds’ program We Testify, which helps people tell their own abortion stories. And she’s also a board member at the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, one of the groups that helped her access her abortion!

Caroline: Cristen, talking to Beth and Andrea absolutely crystallized for me just how inaccessible both abortion AND maternal healthcare are — and that our medical and insurance systems are so broken that people have to rely on shoddy care from a CPC!

Cristen: This is also why it’s crucial for us to pay attention to what our states are funding with our tax dollars and spread the word about CPCs. And if we’ve learned anything in the past two episodes, C, it’s that folks like us who give a fuck about reproductive justice need to get just as focused and organized as the anti-abortion movement.

Caroline: To learn more about Beth Vial and her work at WeTestify, head on over to wetestify.org. And to get a glimpse of Andrea’s research and have your mind blown by the number CPCs across the country, visit crisispregnancycentermap.com

Cristen: You can find us on instagram, facebook and Twitter @unladylikemedia. You can also support Caroline and me by joining our Patreon; you’ll get weekly bonus episodes, listener advice and more fun at patreon.com/unladylikemedia.

Caroline: Nora Ritchie is the senior producer of Unladylike. Gianna Palmer is our story editor. Shruti Marathe transcribes our tape. Our music is by Flamingo Shadow, Amit May Cohen and Sarah Tudzin. Mixing is by Andi Kristins. Sound design and additional music is by Casey Holford and Andi Kristins. Executive producers are Chris Bannon, Daisy Rosario and Unladylike Media.

Cristen: This podcast was created by your hosts, Cristen Conger

Caroline: And Caroline Ervin of Unladylike Media.

Cristen: Next week…

Busy Philipps: Even if I feel the fear, I just say to myself, well, you have no choice. You have to, like, be fearless about this, because what would a random dude do? Maybe we should get that put on bracelets. What would a random dude do? Like an unexceptional fuckin dude who went to some liberal arts school and like graduated fine, middle of his time, whatever, but like somehow has just continued to succeed and succeed and succeed because he walks into every room and is like, why wouldn't I. Why wouldn't I fucking succeed at this?

We’re talking with Busy Philipps about dealing with shitty men in Hollywood and why doing her best is good enough for her.

Cristen: You don’t want to miss this episode — or any episode this season!! Make sure you’re subscribed to Unladylike. Find us in stitcher, spotify, apple podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Caroline: And remember, got a problem?

Cristen: Get unladylike.