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Most people agree it would be immoral for a cigarette company to print on their packages, “Smoking will absolutely not cause cancer.” This kind of deliberate misinformation is unacceptable, and most of us would be disgusted to find out we are being lied to.
However, misinformation is exactly the tactic used by crisis pregnancy centers, and, in particular, the center in Bangor known as First Step Pregnancy Resource Center. Pregnancy centers are non-profits established by pro-life advocates that offer resources to persuade pregnant women to give birth rather than have an abortion.
First Step’s Web site states the organization is committed to providing women with “accurate, up-to-date information you need to make decisions about your unplanned pregnancy and sexual health.” However, First Step drops this promise by publishing blatant lies on their Web site regarding emergency contraception, also known as EC or the morning-after pill.
First Step lists EC as an “abortion procedure” for women in their first trimester of pregnancy. This is false. EC is not the abortion pill, nor does it cause abortion.
The Web site further states, “Depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, the estrogen will either inhibit or delay ovulation, or it may alter the lining of your uterus, preventing implantation of a fertilized egg.” The good news is First Step has its facts straight here; this is exactly what EC does. Unfortunately, it fails to mention the medical definition of pregnancy is when a fertilized egg implants itself into the uterine lining.
Therefore, EC does not terminate a pregnancy, but rather prevents it from ever happening when regular birth control fails or is not used. If a woman takes EC and she is already pregnant, the pill will do nothing to affect the pregnancy.
The site also says, “Testing has not yet been done to determine the safety of this procedure.” This little statement amazes me. First, taking a pill is not a procedure. Furthermore, EC has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
First Step’s Web site also includes lies about condoms, saying, “A recent review by the Centers for Disease Control determined there is no clinical proof condoms are effective at all in preventing HPV and chlamydia, they don’t provide complete protection from genital herpes and syphilis, and only provide an 85 percent reduction of risk for HIV/AIDS.”
On the CDC’s Web site, there is a fact sheet for condoms that states, “Laboratory studies have shown that latex condoms provide an effective barrier against even the smallest STD pathogens.” First Step thinks it can simply make up studies to scare people into abstinence. It thinks the only way abstinence is not the best choice is when marriage is involved. Once again, First Step is trying to pass off its beliefs as medical fact.
These deliberate lies and misleading statements work to take away the right a woman has to an informed choice — something First Step claims to believe in. First Step makes up information and tries to pass it off as medically accurate even though it is not a licensed medical provider.
These false claims and lies are a common tactic used by crisis pregnancy centers to hide the truth about all options for women. Do not let these lies spread any further. Educate yourself, and then tell your friends the truth about EC, abortion, birth control and other reproductive health issues.
If you don’t like being lied to, check out an actual medical facility that gives accurate information, so you can make an informed choice: mabelwadsworth.org.
Ashlee Simpson is a senior sociology student.
Bangor Daily News