Of its many goals, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Pittsburgh chapter, particularly its DSA Socialist Feminist Committee, works to promote access to safe reproductive health services. Part of that mission is raising awareness about crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) – seen by many as fake health clinics run by pro-life groups – and the threat they pose to women. Now the DSA is asking the public to help with #GramTheVan, a social media campaign to capture photos of CPC vans parked around the city.
Launched as part of a national campaign organized by Lady Parts Justice League, the effort asks people to snap and post images of CPC vans and post them to social media sites like Instagram. Abortion rights advocates believe the official-looking vehicles offer free services like ultrasounds and STD testing in order to lure women away from legitimate healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood.
One particular van has often been seen parked outside of the Eastminster Community Church in East Liberty, its exterior plastered with the words “Image Clear Ultrasound.”
“These are people who are definitely trying to take advantage of people in vulnerable situations, and they’re also preying on gaps in our health care as well,” says Crystal Grabowski, who co-chairs the DSA Socialist Feminist Committee with Sophie Wodzak.
She adds that they hope to attract those unable to access abortion services and reproductive healthcare either due to lack of funds, insurance coverage, or clinics in their communities.
ExposeFakeClinicsPgh.com, a website the DSA launched last year to raise awareness about the dangers of CPCs, states that 82 percent of Pennsylvania counties have no abortion providers. Compare that to the rapid growth of CPCs, which now number around 4,000 nationwide, with several located in and around Pittsburgh, including in neighborhoods like the North Side, Downtown, and Oakland, where Grabowski says they can access students from universities like CMU and Pitt.
In what was seen as a blow to abortion rights, the Supreme Court sided with CPCs in a 2018 case, ruling on First Amendment grounds that a State of California law could not require the centers to inform women about abortion as an option. CPCs also receive millions in government funding because they’re seen as still providing a necessary service to families.
While CPCs tactics have received a fair amount of scrutiny, including an in-depth segment on the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Grabowski knows more needs to be done.
“Just spreading the information that they exist is one thing, but then there’s also taking it to the next step,” she says.
Besides ExposeFakeClinicsPGH.com and organizing short-term weeks of action like the #GramTheVan campaign, the DSA uses other methods to combat the efforts of CPCs. One is what Grabowski calls “street canvassing,” where volunteers engage people outside CPCs and inform them about legitimate healthcare providers that have similar free or low-cost services without the anti-abortion agenda.
“It’s not like [CPCs are] the only options. There are other places people can go and people just need to know where the affordable options are,” says Grabowski, adding that places like Allies for Health + Wellbeing in East Liberty offer free STD testing and counseling.
Though #GramTheVan only continues through Sun., Feb. 10, Grabowski hopes it adds to the conversation around CPCs.
“We’re just hoping to reach people and get people talking about it,” she says.
This article appears in February 6, 2019 – Pittsburgh City Paper.
It’s funny that many women who seek abortions say that they “have no choice.” Planned Parenthood and company don’t care about that — they promote abortion, as former PP reps will tell you. Pregnancy help centers do the opposite: they point out that women still have a choice, they have options. It’s one of the ironies of the “pro-choice” side. Women go back to pregnancy help centers and thank them for their support. Women do not go back to abortionists to thank them. Check out the response to the pro-choice characterization of pregnancy help centers.
https://www.pregnancycentertruth.com/
Incidentally, it is not true that Women’s Choice Network or Choices Pregnancy Services, or the vast majority of pregnancy help centers across the country “receive millions in government funding.” Their only funds are from charitable donations. Maybe the reporter should actually talk to the people who work at the centers and get the facts?
However, I think it’s great that more people are made aware of pregnancy medical centers like Women’s Choice Network (imissedmyperiod.com) and Choices Pregnancy Services (pregnancychoice.org). Did you know, 92% of American women in 2014 said that pregnancy help centers are “very necessary” (70%) or “fairly necessary” (22%) in a Charlotte Lozier Institute poll? Americans like pregnancy help. Only 46%, however, knew that there was one in their community. The more the “Lady Parts Justice League” and cronies can raise the centers’ profiles, the better!
How depressing journalism is these days. No attempt here to even try to sound unbiased.
The writer has clearly never entered a pregnancy help center and didnt bother to learn anything about them. But is clearly happy to use generalizations like many people believe… yada yada. A truer statement might have been many people who share my view believe…
Id love to see them try to explain what is fake about pregnancy help centers. The medical staff? No. The testing and ultrasounds? No. The information given? No. Its all scientifically and medically accurate. But you wouldnt know that if youve never been.
The women I know who have been inside a center are grateful for the free services. Unlike Planned Parenthood, no one is making money on them. They truly care about their patients.
The author might have thought to include information about the centers that could be helpful to readers. Many of these centers offer free parenting/ childbirth classes on top of their regular services ALONG with practical help (check out the Free Store next to Choices in the Northside!)
These centers care about women. In every stage of life. They care that they are medically safe (free std testing,) they care that they are not coerced or forced into any decision (a sad reality nowadays in regards to terminating pregnancies,) they care that they receive the practical and emotional support later on if they want or need it.
Planned Parenthood cares about their bottom line.
This #GramTheVan campaign is a thinly veiled attempt at targeted harassment. “Just spreading the information that they exist is one thing, but then theres also taking it to the next step, – What is this next step, Ms. Grabowski? It is apparently marking their exact location and spreading this information to a large group of people who strongly disagree with them through the use of Instagram and hashtags.
Were a reversed, but similar, campaign attempted against Planned Parenthood abortion centers, not only would this article take a polar opposite tone (“and the threat they pose to women”, “lure women away from legitimate healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood”), but would instead strongly denounce it as incitement to violence, and it would instead be the subject of every television news program.
Pittsburgh City Paper should recognize this for what it is, a call to violence against a small group of moral women who are offering free services and counseling to those in a difficult time of their life. The editors at PCP should be ashamed at the intolerance and hate they are displaying against the brave women running this free clinic.