Read Luke Chapter 2 and Call Me in the Morning

by Shaker Ken, formerly known as Brave Sir Robin. Ken is a single father, an unabashed liberal, a former Blogger and a current feminist. Even though he doesn't always get it right, he keeps trying.

Where is it written that women's health matters less than men's? Did I miss that pronouncement? Is there a codicil to the constitution that I somehow overlooked in Government class? I know it will come as no surprise to readers of this site, that some persons apparently believe this to be true, but I guess I'm naive enough to still be outraged and disheartened when I see evidence of it.

Tina Dupey has an article up at the Pasadena weekly about her visit to the Avenues pregnancy clinic. I was home alone when I read it, and I found myself screaming and cursing at the computer screen. Melissa was kind enough to allow me to share this frustration with you.

Avenues advertises itself as a clinic offering free pregnancy tests. Of course, as my father advised me many times, few things in life are ever free. Such is the case with these tests. Women going into these clinics are routinely detained for hours at a time while they are "witnessed" to, and, for the most part flat out lied to about their health choices. You see, even though Avenues is a licensed clinic, accredited by the State of California, it is not there to provide health services; it is there to proselytize to and prey upon women who come in seeking health services.

According to their website, Avenues offers not only pregnancy tests, but ultrasound testing for "high risk" pregnancies. In fact, they routinely give ultrasounds to all pregnant women, even though it is unnecessary medically.

I urge you to read the article in its entirety…. I'll wait.

Are you screaming? Are you shocked? Are you stunned that this is allowed to happen? Remember, these women aren't even necessarily seeking an end to the pregnancy; they simply think they are going into an actual medical clinic. How the hell is this legal?

The thing that struck me so hard was my realization that this, like so many other things in our society, disproportionately affects the poor. These clinics are set up near, and advertise heavily near, college campuses—particularly satellite and inner city campuses. They are preying on scared and confused young women.

Ms. Dupey makes a particularly accurate assessment when she states (emphasis mine):

It's usually safe to assume that medical clinics provide medical care. But if you have the capacity to bear children, those rules apparently don't apply. If a cancer clinic were run as a Christian Scientist front there would be anger.

Uh, you think?

Where is the outrage?

What can we do? You can let your congressperson know that this is unacceptable. It doesn't matter which side of the abortion debate one is on—we're talking about flat out deceptive practices here. These people are lying! I guess thou shall not lie doesn't apply if you feel the ends justify the means.

If your Dad went in to have his prostrate checked, and instead of a test, he was anointed with oil and prayed over, you'd be pissed. Well, if my daughter ever needs medical help, and she feels she needs to go it alone, I hope she can look forward to the same assurances that the information she is given is accurate and medically appropriate as the rest of us are accustomed to having.