When Jennifer Clifford went to Planned Parenthood and found out that she was pregnant, she did not want to have an abortion. In her article “UN-Planned Parenthood” (1998) she tells her story.
“Next, the nurse asked me how I felt about the possibility that I could be pregnant. I let her know that I was excited at the idea but unsure of my future. She honed in on that uncertainty and probed further- what would I do with the child? Could I support it? What would my parents think? These were issues that I had not yet allowed to enter into my mind; I was taking the whole thing one step at a time. Consequently, I could not answer her questions as quickly as she blurted them out. As I floundered for responses, a look of smug resolution came over her face, as if she had already decided what I was going to do. I was a textbook abortion customer to her- young and afraid, and not knowing where to turn. She thought that all she had to do was prey on my worries and shoot down my childish dreams of being a ‘mommy’, and she could add another abortion to the paperwork. I, however, had other plans.”
Clifford’s interpretation of the counselor’s motives might be a bit subjective, but she then goes on to relate what happened when the pregnancy test came back positive:
“I’m sorry Jennifer,” the nurse shook her had and tried to look sympathetic. I was confused by her apology. I remember the dismayed look on her face when I began to smile. She grasped again at my concern, desperately trying to save her sale. She reminded me of my age and of my state in life. I knew I could not support the child on my own, so I asked her for a number I could call for government assistance. She claimed she didn’t have one to give me. It struck me as odd that she couldn’t provide me with a point of contact. Surely other women had been in this same situation before me and had needed information on how they could get help to keep their children as well. Why did Planned Parenthood, then, not keep such an important number handy?
I asked the nurse to give me a list of doctors from which to choose, as I felt the next reasonable step would be to see an obstetrician. The nurse breathed a heavy sigh of disapproval and curled her lip, as if I wasn’t understanding her point. “We don’t deal with pregnant women.” Shocked, I wondered how this company could call itself “Planned Parenthood” when it was unable or unwilling to deal with expectant parents….She seemed to sense my uneasiness and pressed some more.
She mentioned my parents again, appealing to my utter terror in having to break the news to them. The nurse bombarded me with negativity, playing on my fears and concerns and continuing to offer me the “easy way out.”… When I disagreed, she thrust a package of pamphlets at me on abortion costs and procedures, adoption information, and a small except on prenatal care. She presented this to me and told me to come back when I had made up my mind… I knew I had been very clear that I wanted to keep the baby, and that this was not bad news to me. That concept seemed to escape her….She had absolutely no concern for me as an individual with needs and desires; she was interested only in making money for her company.”
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