Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

pornography some people believe it should be available and accessible without stigma others think well it's not for me but it's fine for other people in certain situations and a few people think it should be banned completely oh did I say pornography sorry I meant abortion our main story tonight is abortion and yes yes we have talked about it before last time we looked at the way abortion laws in America have in many places made access to abortion difficult as clinics all over the country have shut down but tonight we're going to focus on the exact opposite of an abortion clinic something called a crisis pregnancy center facilities whose primary purpose is to talk women out of terminating a pregnancy something they don't often make that clear instead running friendly-looking ads like this before you make the decision about a pregnancy that comes at a less-than-perfect time get jelly on the belly come to sunrise woman's clinic a clinic where nurses specialize in early pregnancy options okay jelly on the belly is a pretty childish way to describe an important medical procedure I'm not sure that I would trust a doctor that referred to colonoscopies as looking for cooties in the bootys second one of the early pregnancy options that you won't get at sunrise woman's clinic is an abortion but that can be hard to tell from their vague name and marketing and that actually happens a lot with cpc's take the center for pregnancy choices in Mississippi it sounds like a welcoming place the website even has links labeled thinking abortion and thinking parenting and it was founded by a woman named Barbara Bevers whose very name sounds like that of a sassy mother in a TV show about a family of beavers it would be called hot damn and it would be absolutely delightful but once you're inside her CPC you will find that it is vehemently against any choice that is not carrying a pregnancy to term in fact just listen to Barbara explain where she stands on abortion you're deceiving yourself if you say you can kill your baby and it'd be good for you that's just deception that's not true it doesn't it doesn't register with reality mamas women are not made that way women are made to protect in a garden to to die for their babies not their babies to die for them holy let me be perfectly clear here Barbara the only females made to die for their babies are Pacific salmon they lay thousands of eggs and then die after spawning you're welcome tune in next week for more of Johnny O's fish facts wildlife wonders and abortion and centers like that one are proliferating there are now 2,700 pregnancy centers in America compared to less than 1,700 abortion providers and the discrepancy is even worse in certain states Mississippi for example has one abortion clinic and 38 crisis pregnancy centers so if they are that prevalent people should absolutely know what they are and look if you believe abortion is immoral you are of course allowed to set up a center dedicated to convincing women of that but what is happening with cpc's is that way too often women with unplanned pregnancies are being actively misled while trying to access healthcare and cpc's seem happy to have women confuse them for abortion clinics just listen to Abby Johnson an anti-abortion activist addressing a conference for one of the largest CPC organizations we want to appear neutral on the outside the best call the best client you ever get is one that thinks they're walking into an abortion clinic okay those are the best clients that could ever walk in your door or call your Center the ones that think you provide abortions Wow normally the strategy pretend you're an abortion clinic is not actually a great marketing stunt although I am pretty sure that RadioShack would have tried that if they thought of it sorry we don't actually perform abortions here but what I've got you it can I interest you in a gently used USB cord or a Microsoft Zune they come in brown and the efforts to conceal their true intent takes many forms starting with the name many cpc's have the word choice in their names like choices women's center informed choices medical clinic and all these other CBC's all of which feature the words choice in their name and I know that almost every product does a bit of misleading advertising no one would buy Pepsi if they were honest and called it sad coke or you wouldn't buy a mini-cooper if they admit it they were just clown cars for regular people and while it should be easy to clarify any misconceptions with a simple phone call that can be difficult just listen to what happens when one woman called a CPC for information and keep in mind when you listen that the center absolutely under no circumstances ever provides abortions so cpc's can lure women to meet with them on false pretenses basically they are catfishing them a term that was coined because of course catfish are constantly trying to trick women who are out of their league into them that's right that's right you thought we were out of fish facts you were wrong we have millions because we're talking about abortion and cpc's can even intercept people's internet searches and routinely buy Google Keyword ads for phrases like abortion and abortion clinic and frequently they'll go even further and try and physically intercept people because they often locate themselves as close as possible to abortion clinics for instance one abortion provider in Hartford ran into some real problems with a similarly named CPC when they deliberately located just 20 feet from them this woman who we aren't identifying speaks candidly about the difficult decision she had to make after becoming pregnant after a rape I didn't want the baby it was a lot on my soul eventually she decided to seek the services of the Hartford GYN she initially went for counseling and she can remember how the clinic's neighbor Hartford Women's Health tried to offer unsolicited counsel as well they was trying to tuck me over the end and I was like you know you making me feel bad now clearly that's absolutely horrible and incidents like that was so routine that the abortion clinic in question in an attempt to keep its clients from going to the wrong place painted the ramp outside their door bright yellow like The Wizard of Oz which is actually a properly because that movie too involves a young woman getting stalked several times by idiots bothering her with their own issues and she just tries to get what she needs to go and if cpc's can't get a physical location right next to an abortion clinic they have another trick up their sleeve and that is busses that can literally park outside and try and tempt women in many cpc's operate mobile clinics with the help of organizations like save the stalks a name which really should immediately set off red flags oh let me go into this pan and talk to someone who thinks babies are brought by a deformed pigeon on stilts and to listen to them tell it their vans are an absolute joy to be inside these vehicles fit in one parking spot it'll go right at the door of an abortion clinic every store bus is a bathroom on it to be able to do a pregnancy test built-in refrigerator the seats are all leather this massage chair this thing is really good for the back we've had a lot of good reviews from the pregnant women on the massage chair look if someone wanted to spend their time in the back of a plush van and then be told not to have an abortion they just the lead singer of creed and once once cpc's have women inside their building or van they can employ every tactic in the book to try and get them to change their mind literally every tactic in the book because heartbeat international which has 1,400 affiliates in the US has this handbook with suggested scripts featuring some nonsense information it suggests telling pregnant women that 35% of suicidal behaviors among women may be attributable to abortion which is it also says that abortion almost doubles the risk of breast cancer which is also and while in reality abortion is far less medically dangerous than carrying a child to term that hasn't stopped some CPC employees from saying things like this if people die due to an abortion later on a lot of times they're finding parts of the fetus in like the lungs or the heart oh yeah yeah that that happens a lot of times doesn't it which is why you're so often reading the obituaries and see Sarah Mitchell passed away last week at the age of 34 after she got baby dicks right in the heart it happens all the time we're tired of reading it and the thing is that medical advice can actually look pretty legitimate because cpc's often have the trappings of a health care facility increasingly they offer free ultrasounds which can sound appealing it's free but often they're not performing them so much for medical reasons as for emotional manipulation just watch this Christian Broadcasting Network profile of women who give free ultrasounds in this bus that parks outside abortion clinics just watch as they describe their technique they usually start crying as we begin and cover their eyes and as we're continuing the ultrasound they start peeking out between their fingers and we called it a baby and we call them mom and look your baby's sucking his thumb oh he has the hiccups she and all who operate the ultrasound machine will spend as much time as needed with the new moms she stays on that table until where until she she decides she baby if that isn't coercive enough which it comfortably is technicians at other clinics have written messages uninvited on the ultrasound like hi mommy and daddy and if you were gonna write an unrequested ultrasound message at least be creative about it right on totally pooping in here or I ate my twin or please don't put this on Facebook everyone hates that finally see pcs can and have misled women about how pregnant they are or have delayed their decision to have an abortion past the point where it's possible watch as one doctor describes a case of a woman who came to her in her third trimester having been under the care of a CPC that gave her terrible advice I told her that she didn't have to worry she didn't have to rush there was no time issue because they do abortion in New York City up until term which is patently ridiculous so when she came to me she was too pregnant she had her partner had abandoned her she had no money she had three other children she had no intention of being pregnant and when she became pregnant during the time of her pregnancy she'd been using drugs and alcohol she very responsibly went to end the pregnancy and now I had to tell her you're gonna have a baby no that is obviously heartbreaking and here's the thing for all the lengths that cpc's will go to to prevent abortions many of them don't do a key thing that would really help that and that's give women access to birth control in fact that script from before instructs cpc's to tell people condoms are ineffective in preventing pregnancy and some operators like Barbara beavers are hard skeptics condoms don't they don't prevent even used correctly there's like a 20 percent failure rate even used correctly there's a relatively high failure rate of condoms I thought oh I don't think that's good I don't think that's correct I would question it so I'll find some of our data what what are you laughing Barbara is it because deep down even you Barbara beavers know that your data is complete horseshit because the fact is if you want fewer abortions you should love birth control you should be filling Pez dispensers with birth control pills you should be giving condoms out to trick-or-treaters and our UD earrings out as hostess gifts birth control should be your favorite thing in the whole world but of course many of these cpc's are about much more than just abortion they're about controlling women's sexual behavior many are church-affiliated like the Pregnancy Care Center in Fort Pierce Florida which was started by a Catholic priest he's called father Thomas ight now now I don't want to say that he had a condescending view of women but watch him describe the links that he would go to to lure them away from entering an abortion clinic I remember the time when they had the fence up in front of the place they put the fence up I decided that I would talk to him and over the fence by bringing a ladder and getting on top of the ladder and talking to and so of course that generated a 911 because I was now talking down [Laughter] literally and figuratively talking down to them I made it clear there are many vessels for the purpose of giving birth and nothing else I don't actually even see them as for humans that's why what I do is funny I break myself up I'm not I'm a chuckle monster that's priceless now quick sidenote about that particular priest not long after that was filmed he admitted to violating the boundaries of chastity with the woman who accused him of molesting her for two years during what was supposed to be an exorcism and some of the details in her allegations are insane he kissed the corners of her mouth stroked her legs breasts and thighs breasts her face laid his body on top of hers and frequently explained full passionate kisses as blowing the Holy Spirit into her let us be clear if you are doing anything that can be described as blowing the Holy Spirit into someone you are very much doing kissing wrong and unless your idea of an exorcism is making the woman burp a lot you're also doing exorcisms wrong as well which could be why it took you two years at this point at this point you might be wondering how you can give women ultrasounds and inaccurate medical information and not break the law well cpc's are very careful to stop just short of the line where they will be regulated as health care providers and this offers them numerous advantages for example they're generally not subject to HIPAA a federal law requiring that patients information be kept private which is frankly not ideal in a setting where such sensitive information is being shared and if you are not already angry enough at this point the government actually funds cpc's you are paying for them they they can get federal funding and sixteen states use taxpayer money to fund them directly and they will say they will say that they're fervently held beliefs can justify some of the methods that you've seen tonight and they might point to the assistance that some centers provide to young mothers like parenting classes and free diapers which is great if those women want be mothers although as Abby Johnson advised CPC operators in that conference he saw earlier that that help can be surprisingly limited if I want to open a Pregnancy Center I would not have pregnancy items past six months are we running a charity are we running a place where we want women to become self-sufficient self-sufficient right have maternity clothes have those things available for the women while they're pregnant but cut them off Wow so the basic argument there is we're just not in a position where we can take care of a baby forever we don't have the time or the resources so we're choosing not to make that commitment right now so which I would say the tactics that cpc's often use are disingenuous and predatory and it's absolutely critical that people understand that but they really don't watch how one local news outlet covered the opening of a CPC in the gigantic care net Network Schuylkill County is one of the only counties in our area that does not have a Planned Parenthood but that doesn't mean teens don't have a place to go for help Karen out of Schuylkill County recently expanded to two facilities one for parents and one for expecting mothers under the age of 21 no don't say that because if you want all the options available to you those two are not remotely the same that's like saying hey our town doesn't have a youth sports league but we do have a large scary man in sweatpants who will chase your kids around ptoo operates out of a van and and people need to understand this because right now it is way too easy for a religious organization to disguise its true nature establish a CPC and provide women with dangerously poor information about one of their most important health choices and I can prove to you how easy it is you may remember back in season two I established the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual exemption with my lovely wife Wanda Jo Oliver well last week we filed paperwork in New York to create a new nonprofit Our Lady of choosing choice to set up our own crisis pregnancy center so where will our clinic be that depends where are you right now because our clinic has wheels and we will travel behold behold our new [Music] [Applause] look you know that there is absolutely no way that I would open this alone right [Applause] how do you wonder Joe how'd you get to you oh thank you so much now now in this band we are allowed to tell women whatever dubious information comes into our heads isn't that right my wonder that's right my John tell women if they get an abortion it'll make a ghost baby that'll hug your hoo-ha forever that is spooky ER but what else do you say wonder getting an abortion turns your breast milk into kombucha that's weird it is weird one more facts for the people at home one gasps you're an abortion your vagina feels sharp like an Egyptian - wow that's a striking image these are all things that we can say legally required in New York chef Amy training and all to use this ultrasound machine wow that's absolutely terrifying well in that case let's get some jelly on some bellies I got great I got red berry I'm gonna really just gummy bears [Laughter] we're told that what the joke I've got to ask you something it's a tricky question how do you feel about birth control I'm glad you asked you know I do give out condoms but I tell people there's zero percent effective you too how's that possibly cut the tips off these suckers well lets you blow the holy spirit right on through Wow Wow look the best part is just like our church we are tax exempt and we could be eligible for government funding praise discretionary budgets what don't cry don't cry the point is this is all perfectly legal and there is absolutely nothing stopping us from parking outside an abortion clinic tonight and haranguing people first thing in the morning and frankly they're really should be [Applause]

Channel: LastWeekTonight

Views: 5,713,846

Rating: 4.6968427 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: 4NNpkv3Us1I

Length: 21min 8sec (1268 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 08 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/ani625]

This Barbara Beavers sounds like a fucking awful person.

[u/Cantomic66]

You know your position is wrong when you have to lie about it.

[u/jgjgleason]

That lady arguing the CPC's should cut off all support 6 months after the birth was incredibly crass, careless, and showed me how completely divorced these many pro-lifers are from the impact of an unwanted pregnancy. It reminded me of one of George Carlin's quotes on most pro-lifers,"If you're pre-born you're fine. If you're pre-schooled you're fucked!.

[u/stinkypurplesoxs]

I remember going to one of those clinics about six years ago...and holy shit he aint joking how it's a total shit fest.

I was about 12 weeks in and I went to a center my friend told me about (who ended up keeping her baby, but I'll get more into that later). Me and the child's father went to clinic, which looked nice and inviting. They had us sign that we knew we inquiring about a possible pregnancy and all that jazz.

So, about five minutes later, they called us to the back.

They STOPPED the father and told him to stay in the lobby.

I was alone with this very religious woman who gave me a pregnancy test.

She confirmed I was expecting and then she broke out the propaganda pamphlets (I still have them to get a chuckle in every now and then). She was telling me the father would leave me, I would be alone, and I should start going to THEIR CHURCH if I wanted help.

This help?

You had to go to every church service, get each program signed by the pastor, and at the end of the month, you got to go "shopping".

No joke, they had a knock off mini Walmart in the next room. Clothes, formula, strollers, you name it. It was a point system.

After 20 more minutes of this crap, they let me go. The child's father looked at me curiously and saw I was smiling.

As soon as we hit the door, I said:

"Let's...get...the FUCK...out of here".

He said he got weird vibes from the place. because the ladies upfront kept looking at him like he was eating shit.

As for me and my friend, we both kept our kids due to the lack of actual help, but, in the end, we are happy to have them. She's almost done with her residency for her to be a Pediatrician and I'm getting ready to ship off. We both have/had left our kids with our parents (because dads did dip out). It's hella hard, but we both hope that they both will see how hard it can be if you don't get the right help.

[u/KaamDeveloper]

The fact that John can provide fish facts and start a CPC, in the same episode, is just mind blowing.

[u/n7-Jutsu]

Eat shit Bob!

[u/[deleted]]

CPCs are not bound by HIPAA. I wish he said that first. That fact alone should scare anyone and everyone who goes to these places. That means that they can do almost whatever they want with your data... I don't know if it is worse than the Facebook Cambridge analytica scandal.

Thought: what if people open their own pregnancy centers that use the same tactics for funding as these fucktards, and use them to give out honest information to people, sure they can't give abortions, but there is still a lot of other good they can do, such as siphoning funding away from these shitty organizations.

[u/Austeri]

I watched the whole video and by the end I wanted to strangle somebody.

CPCs are fucked up.

[u/phonz1851]

Fun fact Texas has a higher maternal mortality rate than any other developing country at 34.2