Miss-Conceptions Eugene's 'crisis pregnancy centers' offer women free pregnancy tests with a dose of ideology BY MARTHA CALHOON Directly opposite Eugene's Planned Parenthood office, a sandwich board advertises free pregnancy testing at the 1st Way facility on the same block. At first glance, one might think the two centers could be affiliated, but in fact these neighbors stand on opposite sides of the street and the political spectrum. While 1st Way appears to be another local provider of family planning services, it is in fact what is known as a "crisis pregnancy center": a pro-life organization that masks its overriding objective of saving the unborn under the pretense of unbiased medical care. "We don't do family planning," said a 1st Way volunteer who identified herself only as Terry. "We offer pregnant women resources and friendship. We give them everything that is needed to carry the pregnancy to term with dignity and peace of mind." This aim, however, is generally concealed by 1st Way's advertising, which purports to offer clients compassionate counseling on parenting, adoption and abortion. Veiled behind euphemisms and benign questions such as "Pregnant? Need help?" the driving ideology behind this center becomes clearer upon inspection of its website, www.possiblypregnant.org The website states that 1st Way does not give referrals to abortion providers. External links to "abortion information" primarily lead to graphic depictions of late-term abortions. Last spring, when members of the controversial pro-life group the Genocide Awareness Project brought a three-day presentation to the UO campus to protest what they consider a "genocide on the unborn," 1st Way's national hotline was endorsed on a banner alongside graphic photos of dismembered fetuses, lynched bodies, Holocaust victims and murdered Tutsis. Yet 1st Way appears in the phone book under primarily neutral categories such as "Clinics" and "Pregnancy Counseling." Kelly Devore, vice president of public affairs at Planned Parenthood in Eugene, feels that the crisis pregnancy centers' advertising strategies are intentionally misleading. Their ads in the Oregon Daily Emerald read, "Possibly Pregnant? Call 1st Way, a place to think things over and talk with someone who cares." In Eugene as in other cities, they tend to set up house in close proximity to Planned Parenthood offices in what can only be a deliberate attempt to confuse prospective clients.    "Oftentimes," Devore said, "women go to these places expecting neutral, comprehensive medical care and referral and may leave feeling manipulated. This is an entity that is not going to give you the full scope of information about your options. That is unfair to a woman when she's vulnerable and facing a really important decision." In fact, at crisis pregnancy centers, medical care is a secondary concern. Run entirely by volunteers with the exception of a director, 1st Way's medical staff is composed of one nurse who is on duty twice a week. Generally, medical treatment consists of little more than handing patients over-the-counter pregnancy tests. By contrast, Eugene's Planned Parenthood office has a medical director, a registered nurse who is always on site, and nurse practitioners who perform exams; all of them are paid staff. 1st Way's parent affiliate, The National Life Center, also presents as accepted medical fact highly controversial information on a link between abortion and breast cancer. Some former clients of 1st Way also claim the center breached its guarantee of confidentiality. One woman who asked EW to conceal her identity — we'll call her Erin Martin — visited 1st Way in Eugene three years ago when she began experiencing pregnancy symptoms. Uninsured at the time, she was drawn to 1st Way after seeing an ad offering free pregnancy testing. When she arrived, the single volunteer staffing the office administered a store-bought pregnancy test. When the result came back positive, the volunteer gave Martin a packet of information, including a pin depicting tiny fetal footprints. "This is how small your baby's feet are," she pointed out. Within a week, an adoption agency representative contacted Martin at home, asking if she had made a decision about her pregnancy. "I hadn't told anyone else," she says. She believes that the center gave out her personal contact information, which — if true — is a violation of federal law. "That was really shocking to me," says Martin. "I was young, and I think I had already made my decision by then, but that's a really hard decision to make and to have someone call you at your home like that …" Her sentences trail off as she searches for words to describe the feeling of betrayal. Three years later, the disbelief remains audible in her voice. "They attract people with free pregnancy tests, and then they try to sway their decision. I think if I had been more naïve, they could have really had a negative effect on my life," she says. "I will never go there again, and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone else." Nationwide, stories are beginning to emerge about the crisis pregnancy centers' agenda in the reproductive choice war. Planned Parenthood recently published allegations in its national newsletter that crisis pregnancy center representatives have called the police on minors pursuing abortions and encouraged the classmates of pregnant clients to harass those who planned to terminate. Another point of contention between crisis pregnancy centers and Planned Parenthood is what happens when pregnancy tests are negative. "In that situation, what we [at Planned Parenthood] do is talk to patients about birth control options and how to manage their fertility in the future," Devore says. By contrast, the only contraception 1st Way endorses is abstinence, which they refer to as "sexual purity." The language about sexuality on 1st Way's website is rife with moral judgment and limited in useful information. The organization openly condemns sex outside of marriage and equates sexual activity with a lack of character and self-respect. "Most guys want sex. That's just how they are made. They will probably pressure you to get it," the website states. The site argues that most women and girls do not share in sexual desire and, instead, fantasize about holding hands, kissing, dancing and receiving flowers. It also claims that condoms have no proven effectiveness against chlamydia, syphilis and HPV and are only minimally effective against the spread of gonorrhea, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Terry at 1st Way tells EW that all the funding for Eugene's center is local, but nationally, crisis pregnancy centers have received $60 million in federal grants. "What's important to note," says Planned Parenthood's Devore, "is that crisis pregnancy centers aren't just some non-profit down the road. These centers are receiving federal funding. Your tax dollars and mine are being used to spread false medical information."
		Table of Contents | News | Views | Calendar| Film | Music | Culture | Classifieds | Personals | Contact | EW Archive | Advertising Information | Current Issue |