Category: Abortion Counseling

Jewels Green, who worked in an abortion clinic for five years, stated that most of the women who came to her clinic had made up their minds that they wanted an abortion. However, she emphasized that some were ambivalent, and that the clinic was not equipped to deal with them. She said clinic counselors had little information to offer on abortion alternatives and that they did not do a through job of counseling. In her own words:

“This is where the pro-choice movement and clinics fail. Sure, we had a little notebook with the names and numbers of two local adoption agencies, but we were never trained or taught how the adoption process works so we could explain it to women. We had the phone number of the local WIC office, public assistance, etc., but again, knew nothing about the process should anyone ever ask for details. If a pregnant woman wanted to learn more about these other choices, the best the “options counselor” could offer was a post-it note with a phone number hastily scribbled on it.”

Kristen Walker “Former abortion clinic worker breaks silence, speaks out for life” LifeSiteNews.com, Thu Jul 21, 2011. Found here Kristen Walker “Former abortion clinic worker breaks silence, speaks out for life” LifeSiteNews.com, Thu Jul 21, 2011.

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In Planned Parenthood’s “The Complete Guide to Pregnancy Testing and Counseling” a hypothetical case is presented where a married woman has agreed to have an abortion, but is having ambivalent feelings. The guide suggests that the counselor:

“Tell her that no one makes the decision to have an abortion easily or ever feels really “good” about it. Acknowledge that feelings of discomfort and sadness are normal. Ask about the reasons for which she and her husband decided on an abortion. Help her to reaffirm that this is the best decision for them right now. Remind her that feelings of guilt, sadness or loss do not mean that a wrong decision was made.”

“The Complete Guide to Pregnancy Testing and Counseling” Planned Parenthood 1985 (p 24-25) quoted in “Achieving Peace in the Abortion War” by Rachel M MacNair, Ph.D., published by the Feminism & Nonviolence Studies Association January 2009.

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In one survey of Planned Parenthood affiliates, clinic workers were asked about whether they could address the adoption issue.  Only 20% felt that adoption should be included as part of Planned Parenthood’s mission statement.

In reply to the question “Should adoption be part of Planned Parenthood’s mission?” some typical responses included:

“No. It would present an apparent and possibly actual conflict of interest. Difficult to finance. Very draining on staff time and overall effort.”

“Only as a referral. It might be very confusing to maintain a pro-choice stance when an agency also is invested in finding an infant to place.”

“I think we have to look very carefully at the issues involved. For our clients, we need to be sure that the information and services we provide are really in their best interest. A pregnant fifteen-year-old should not be seen as the ‘solution’ to an infertile couple’s problems. We need to be very careful not to cast women in the role of ‘baby producers’…”

“We have historically presented adoption as an option in a most matter of fact way without presenting the whole picture. Of those patients who choose adoption, it only makes sense for us to be their means to an end.”

Robert H. Ruff “Aborting Planned Parenthood: Documented Proof of Planned Parenthood’s Systematic Exploitation of Teenagers and Taxpayers” (New York: Life Cycle Books 1988 p 30

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From a report on abortion malpractice cases:

“All too often the abortion counselor has only a high school diploma, has herself had one or two abortions and feels compelled to assist others by affirming the abortion decision. She thereby affirms her own decision, unknown to her and her client. Because she may be in denial about the emotional aftereffects of her own abortion, she is either unaware of post-abortion emotional trauma, or is simply uninformed.”

It also cites the following statistic:

“In the U.S., abortion counselors as a “profession” are unlicensed, and are unregulated in 95% of the States.”

Citing a number of studies, the article goes on to state:

“Several empirical studies in the U.S. have indicated the deficiencies of current abortion counseling practices with the majority of respondents reporting insufficient information provided by the abortion counselor; insensitive, unhelpful abortion clinic personnel, with respect to providing assistance in decision-making, and the provision of misinformation, thereby contributing to increased anxiety, confusion and levels of post-abortion depression and hostility”

“Abortion Malpractice: When Patient Needs and Abortion Practice Collide” Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change. Research Bulletin Vol. 9 No.1 November/December 1995. http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/air/air_vol9no1_1995.html#a24 See Barnard, C. (1990), The Long Term Psychological Effects of Abortion, Portsmouth, NH: Institute for Pregnancy Loss; and Vaughan, H. (1990), Canonical Variates of Post-Abortion Syndrome, Portsmouth, NH: Institute for Pregnancy

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Abortionist Dr. Don Sloan:

“So we have these centers where patients are counseled, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s a thorough job. The counseling is less than might be desirable at times…For someone performing abortions, the volume can be so great it’s overwhelming. I’ve sent out tens and tens of thousands of women, and I know so little about so many of them- most of them. How could I? In a sense, the doctor is only a tradesperson, a technician performing a task, like any other…There are many times- frequently, in fact, and I do to this very day- when I will get a referral to do an abortion on a woman I’ve never seen, will see only for those fleeting minutes of the termination, and then never seen again. That scenario isn’t peculiar to me- it goes with the territory.”

Don Sloan, M.D. and Paula Hartz. Choice: A Doctor’s Experience with the Abortion Dilemma. New York: International Publishers 2002 p 103

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“How many of you have seen a number, unsolicited, that you think you could call that said, “Problem Pregnancy,” “Abortion Information” or “Pregnant?” in your area where you think you could call for abortion information?

Let’s talk about those kids when they find out that they are pregnant. They may not want an abortion: they may want information. But when they call that number that’s paid for by abortion money, what kind of information do you think they’re going to get?

Let’s remember, they sell abortions. They don’t sell keeping the baby. They don’t sell giving the baby up for adoption. They don’t sell delivering up the baby in any form. They only sell abortions…

This counselor is paid to be this girl’s friend. She is paid to be the authority for the girl. She is supposed to seduce her into a friendship of sorts to sell her the abortion. Every problem this girl has: I don’t want to tell my parents. You don’t have to tell your parents. They don’t have to know. You’re old enough to come in and have it without them knowing. And then the money, and they ask them to go get their money and pay the people back in a year….

They tell the counselors, and I told the counselors, not to rock the boat; not to answer any questions that they didn’t ask.”

Carol Everett, former owner of 2 abortion clinics and director of 4

Personal Testimony “Meet the Abortion Providers” Convention

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Former Clinic Worker Kathy Sparks

“In my opinion, the most important part of this particular abortion clinic was the counseling. I was able to sit with one particular worker who had eight years of college; she was so very good. She could sit down with these girls during counseling and she could cry with them at the drop of a pin.

She would immediately start drawing them out, asking them all kinds of good questions.

She would find out what their pressure point was. What was driving them to want to abort that child, and whatever that pressure point was, she would magnify it.

If it was the fact that her parents were going to ‘kill’ her, and she didn’t know how she was going to be to tell her parents; then the counselor would proceed by telling her, you don’t have to do this; that’s why abortion is here, we want to help you; this is the answer to your problems.

Oftentimes, if it was money, she would tell them how much baby items cost…the counseling at this particular abortion clinic was so effective that 99 out of every 100 women would go ahead and abort. So that’s very effective counseling.”

Personal Testimony “Meet the Abortion Providers” Convention

Ironically, Planned Parenthood of San Diego director Mark Salo had this to say of pregnancy resource centers. Pregnancy resource centers are pro-life centers where women in crisis pregnancies can go for counseling and alternatives to having an abortion. These centers often offer help and referrals for prenatal care, maternity clothes, baby items, etc..

“They start with an objective tone but if the woman says she wants to terminate the pregnancy, the tone changes. The organization attempts to really dissuade her. If they were any other kind of business, the regulatory agencies would be down on them very quickly. That’s considered fraud.”

Pamela Wilson “Bogus Abortion Clinics Probed” San Diego Daily Transcript, Sept 20, 1991

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In a book entitled “Abortion and Health Care Ethics” a pro-choice activist says:

“Health care professionals bear a responsibility for communicating realistic information about abortion to women in their care. They should assume responsibility for dispelling old wives tales about the harmful effects of the procedure. Informed consent is a necessary ingredient of care, but as with any other procedure, the individual client and are characteristic should be evaluated before deciding just what is informed consent. Communicating information can be punitive or supportive.”

E.Dorsey Smith “Abortion and Health Care Ethics” Quoted in Mary Kay Culp’s review on page 7 of the October 24, 1985 National Right to Life News

This philosophy leaves the door open for practitioners to “tailor” information for the desired effect.

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Sometimes abortion counseling becomes a time to indoctrinate and influence women to become active abortion rights supporters:

Former abortion clinic worker Lorraine LaNeve stated, in a conference for former abortion providers:

“I started my job functioning in all the duties of a nurse. First, by preparing the clients in the waiting room by medicating them with Valium and then influencing my captive audience to write letters to the elected officials pleading that abortion should remain a woman’s right….”

Meet the Abortion Providers Conference, quoted at Priests for Life

……

“….the counselors have also been using the counseling sessions to talk to women about the fact that legalized abortion is now threatened and what they can do to preserve the right to choose. Women are given post cards they can fill out and mail to their elected officials asking them to support pro-choice. The clinic also prints flyers that educate women about the abortion right.”

Marian Faux “Crusaders: Voices from the Abortion Front” (New York: Carol Publishing Group) 1990 p 84

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