How to Fight Back Against Fake Clinics

1. KNOW THE FACTS

• Make sure your group studies up on fake clinics! See our fact sheet and online resources.
• Contact your National Choices Campus Organizer. We can help you implement the campaign on your campus!
• Visit www.optionline.org or www.lifecall.org to find out if a CPC exists near your campus. (Note: These are anti-choice websites with locations of CPCs).
• If there is a CPC near your campus, your group can call or visit the CPC to see what they say about abortion and birth control. Do they offer abortion as an option for an unplanned pregnancy? Do they offer condoms, EC, and/or birth control? Does their website make false claims like, “abortion causes breast cancer, infertility, suicide, or post-abortion syndrome?”

2. KNOW YOUR CAMPUS

• Visit your Campus Health Center. Does your Health Center know about CPCs? Where would they refer a student facing an unintended pregnancy? Do they include CPCs on their referral lists?
• Does a CPC advertise on your campus? Check out your campus newspaper, billboards, cafeteria and informational kiosks for “Worried? Pregnant? Call XXX-XXXX” ads or flyers.

3. STRATEGIES FOR TAKING ACTION

• Create educational flyers and posters identifying nearby comprehensive women’s health clinics and warning students about the fake clinics in your area.
• Work to establish “Truth in Advertising” policies on your campus to ban CPC referrals or include in the Campus Health Center and advertisements in campus outlets, including the newspaper. (See online strategy sheet, “Establishing Truth in Advertising Policies.”)
• Circulate petitions to stop all federal funding for fake clinics and to demand federal regulations requiring truth in their advertising practices.
• Host a screening of FMF’s two video features, “Crisis of Deception: Fake Clinics Spread Misinformation on the Federal Dime” and “Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Nothing but False Promises and Misinformation."
• Stage a protest outside of your nearest fake clinic, warning women about the deceptive practices of crisis pregnancy centers. Record and photograph your demonstration – send it to us to post on YouTube and Facebook!