Posts Tagged ‘documentary’

We’ve written before about the perennial and hugely problematic Choose Life License Plate bill in North Carolina.

This bill would create a state-mandated funding stream for organizations that agree to deny women legal health care information at a time of crisis. The bill specifically states that the funds raised through the sale of these plates may not be distributed to any organization that “provides, promotes, counsels or refers for abortion.”

We know that these so-called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” (CPC) prey on women when they are at their most scared and vulnerable. But for those who may think that CPCs aren’t so bad or are even providing a valuable service, HBO has brought you a new documentary “12th and Delaware”

The film takes us to the corner of 12th and Delaware in a small Florida town where a CPC has set up shop directly across the street from a clinic that provides abortions. 

The view inside the ambiguously named Pregnancy Care Center is shocking. Staff members openly manipulate frightened women and teens that they refer to as “abortion minded” into maintaining their pregnancies.

To name just a few of their tactics: 
  *Empty promises- “we will give you money, diapers, and clothes”
 *Complete fabrication of medical facts- “abortion causes breast cancer” and “all women regret their abortions” are two of the most prevalent
  *Emotional coercion- women are forced to hold dolls they are told resemble their 8 week old fetus, and
  *Flat out lies- multiple women are told they are earlier along in their pregnancies than they actually are so they believe they have more   time to weigh their options and may make their decision too late for abortion to legally be an option.

It is truly disturbing the great lengths staff members of the CPC will go to prevent a woman from making an informed decision that is hers alone. Are these the sort of organizations that we want our state funding?

The trailer is on-line but “12th and Delaware” is well worth a spot on your Netflix Queue when it’s released on DVD later in the year.

That way, when you see the Choose Life License Plates bill come up during the 2011 legislative session, you’ll have the insiders perspective on who would really benefit from it. One thing for sure, it’s certainly not women.