During this time of division, Massachusetts has chosen to serve as a state which will support women’s rights to abortion, alongside New York, California, Washington, and others. However, not everyone in the state has the same opinion. Misinformation is being spread about abortion to try and prevent people from going ahead with these procedures. For Massachusetts to become a haven for women, it is vitally important for the state to grant straightforward protection for people in need of abortions and to combat misinformation, much of which is being disseminated by “crisis pregnancy centers.”
All areas centered around abortion care must be protected by the state government so that there will be no issues regarding the procedure itself. This is becoming a reality with the new abortion protection bill that was passed at the end of July. This bill states that law enforcement cannot cooperate with other out-of-state agencies when looking at abortions, because of differing state laws that do not intersect. This grants safety for people who travel to Massachusetts from other states to get abortions. The bill also gives general and clearer protection to people involved in reproductive healthcare services and allows patients to countersue, if they feel that their rights are violated.
As for combatting misinformation, it is first essential to understand a brief history of abortion in America. The Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 caused commotion in conservative and Christian groups, driving the pro-life movement that has historically focused on preventing abortions. 2022 saw the overturning of the initial Supreme Court decision, and pro-life groups suddenly had more power. Currently, 26 states have banned or are going to ban abortion. Massachusetts is one of the states that is a haven for anyone in need of getting an abortion.
As stated previously, most of the misinformation in Massachusetts is coming from crisis pregnancy centers. Crisis pregnancy centers are non-profit organizations with non-medically trained staff, developed to help pregnant women decide the next steps of pregnancy and potential childbirth. However, the main problem with these centers is that they are heavily biased against abortion and will give out false medical information to persuade people to continue with childbirth. Examples include advising against abortion because of false or unproven threats of breast cancer, infertility, and a general decrease in good mental health. The problem also lies with internet searches, which may point to crisis pregnancy centers when asked about the closest abortion clinics, helping the centers to grow in popularity, and allowing them to push misinformation to more victims. There are 29 crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts, and only 19 abortion clinics.
The first place to succeed in breaking down this problem was the city of Somerville. A newly passed ordinance in Somerville states that the centers are prohibited from counseling or advising on anything related to abortions. They are not allowed to try and convince patients against abortions or engage in any type of deceptive practice. If something like this were to happen, the clinic would be fined $300. Many states also issue general warnings regarding crisis pregnancy centers on their websites, stating that “CPCs (crisis pregnancy centers) are organizations that seek to prevent people from accessing abortion care.”
Why don’t states just ban the centers themselves to avoid any problems in the future? It all comes down to the first amendment and the right to free speech. In 2015, the state of California tried to pass a law stating that these centers could not give out false information. This was met with much backlash, and ended up being brought to the Supreme Court, which ruled that this ban did violate the first amendment. This not only stopped the centers from being banned altogether but also stopped the states from trying to minimize the misinformation produced by these organizations. Unfortunately, judging by today’s political climate towards abortion, the same result would likely end up happening if this problem were addressed again.
Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see places like Somerville making a difference by trying to stop the spread of misinformation from crisis pregnancy centers. And while it is unfortunate that these centers can’t be stopped from spreading, influencing, and misinforming pregnant women on a state level, Massachusetts and other pro-abortion states are still trying to do everything in their power to protect the rights of women and provide safe abortion procedures. There are also other organizations in the state that provide access to all kinds of reproductive health services, such as Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD). Frinny Polanco Walters, MD, MPH, is the Health Services Medical Director for ABCD, and she told us, “Education, health promotion, and equitable access to reproductive health services are the best way to ensure patients are well informed about pregnancy.”
Dr. Polanco Walters emphasizes that organizations offering reproductive healthcare “should be providing patients with accurate evidence-based information regarding their options which include raising the baby, adoption and abortion and allowing the patients to choose the option that is most appropriate for them at that point in time.” This education, she continues, is best provided in the patient’s native or preferred language and ideally before pregnancy occurs.
Health care providers should also be asking their patients, including those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community, about their plans for becoming pregnant. “Those who are not interested should be counseled on contraceptive options and allowed to choose the method that is best for them at that point in time. In the end it is their body and thus their choice,” Dr. Polanco Walters says. The ABCD Health Services Department, for example, provides services regardless of age, gender, immigration status or whether or not the person has health insurance, and these services are accessible in locations throughout Boston and Worcester. All services are voluntary and confidential, and teens, those in need of confidential services, or those who qualify financially may be eligible for free family planning services. As Dr. Polanco Walters notes, “lack of access to reproductive health care is a major barrier for many women, and thus policies should focus on expanding access to family planning care for all individuals.” With organizations like ABCD and state legislators focused on protecting these rights, we can feel confident that Massachusetts will continue to be a beacon of hope in dark times.
