On November 24th, 2024, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle A. Henry encouraged "all Pennsylvania consumers, especially those who are pregnant or may become pregnant, to be informed when it comes to choosing reproductive health care providers and counselors" in a press release.
The press release further states:
"The Attorney General’s Office suggests the following questions for consumers seeking reproductive healthcare to pose to potential providers in order to navigate the selection process:
Are you (the facility) licensed or regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and/or do you have licensed medical professionals on staff to provide medical services?
What types of pregnancy-related services do you offer?
Do you protect patient health information and data under HIPAA?"
The term provider seems to be used as referring to pregnancy centers or pregnancy resource centers in particular. There is encouragement to fill out a form they offer which gives "consumers an online platform to submit complaints regarding professions and practices in the Commonwealth, including pregnancy services."
The complaint form, which can be filled out anonymously, is where it gets interesting. The form is called "Report Reproductive Health Deceptive Activity". Please examine the content offered to the public in this form.
"This Form is provided for the general public and pregnant persons to report misleading and deceptive conduct by Crisis Pregnancy Centers. For example: misrepresenting services offered, misrepresenting the danger of abortion, delaying reproductive health services through duplicative tests, and/or hidden fees."
This opens up a lot to discussion. Let me initially dismiss the fact that pregnancy centers are the sole target here, let's look at the line "misrepresenting the danger of abortion".
Does this indicate, according to the Attorney General, that there is some danger involved when it comes to abortion? Whose experiences with abortion matters when it comes to determining those dangers? The waters are muddied by certain studies being set as having more legitimacy than other studies, but what about the women who know the depression that overtook them following abortion? Or the women who admit to wanting to die afterwards? There may be women who walk away and say they are fine with their decision to terminate their pregnancy, however that does not negate the testimony of the other women.
For the sake of brevity, I will not get into the physical health risks that are involved. I won't even delve into the fundamental matter that a distinct human life is ended in an abortion. Who (including all facilities who offer abortion options) misrepresents the dangers of abortion? Let there be a voice for women who have gone places other than pregnancy centers. Let them be heard as well on this form.
To the pregnancy centers; keep offering care with integrity, confidentiality, honesty, and love. You are ambassadors for womens' wellness. And as the Pennsylvania Pregnancy Wellness Collabortion states, "pregnancy centers are first responders" to women learning they are pregnant There is no shame in this.
Rhiannon Welton
Executive Director of Pro-Life of Mercer County
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