Is your PRC/PMC viable or vulnerable to attacks on your right to exist and serve the women in your community? In the coming months, BoardLink will highlight some of the legal tips from the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) that will help you to evaluate your policies and procedures in this important area. This is the introduction to the series:

For over twenty-five years the abortion industry has viciously attacked the pro-life work of Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs) accusing them of false advertising, illegally practicing medicine, deceiving vulnerable women and operating as "bogus" clinics. Over the years law suits against PRCs have occurred in numerous states: California, New York, Ohio, Maryland, and others. In addition, the Attorneys General in various states have launched "investigations" into the operations of PRCs, claiming that such centers practice civil fraud and should be regulated by the state.

Over the last year legislative initiatives in the states of Oregon and Maryland have been attempted to dramatically restrict the operations of PRCs. Such legislative actions were spurred on by intense lobbying efforts from Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAl.) promoting bills that, if passed into law, would have caused the closure of many PRCs in these states.

The good news is that, to date, these legislative attacks have failed. PRCs in Oregon and Maryland were united and through a unified coordinated effort from the national PRC organizations (NIFLA, Care Net and Heartbeat) the legislative attacks failed in both states. However, the abortion industry has made it very clear that it is going to continue to make efforts to pass legislation that will harm the work of PRCs. PRCs must be on the alert and prepare for the coming attacks that are now being prepared by our adversaries.

A Brief History
In October 1995 Planned Parenthood of New York City hired a staff person to launch an extensive national public relations campaign to slander the work of PRCs. The efforts included the writing of news articles and extensive media interviews with national media sources to "expose" the work of what the abortion industry refers to as "bogus clinics."

These accusations claimed that PRCs masquerade as abortion clinics or abortion referral agencies. They charged that PRCs give women inaccurate information regarding abortion and abortion procedures. Further, they alleged that PRCs illegally practice medicine by providing a medical diagnosis of pregnancy without the supervision of a licensed physician. They additionally claimed that even centers that operate under the supervision of a licensed physician and confirm pregnancies through ultrasound act illegally and improperly use ultrasound. Over the years these attacks have.failed to close down PRCs, but they have had a devastating impact on public relations that PRCs face in their communities. While the recent attacks in Oregon and Maryland failed to pass legislation that would harm PRCs they produced negative media reports about the pro-life work of centers. Such reports must always be responded to in a positive light.

The Coming Attacks: PRCs Must Be Ready
In March 2008 the Feminist Majority Foundation sponsored its National Young Women's Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. One of the workshops held at this conference was titled Exposing Fake Clinics. The workshop materials provided a "step by step guide to exposing Fake Clinics" and boldly announced that "Pregnancy tests don't lie but fake clinics do."

The workshop materials defined a "fake clinic" as any agency that is pro-life and does not refer for abortion. The materials stated: "...fake clinics coerce and intimidate women out of considering abortion as an option and prevent women from receiving neutral and comprehensive medical advice. They are typically run by anti-abortion volunteers who are not licensed medical professionals."

At this workshop the Feminist Majority Foundation announced an open position for hire: the national Coordinator of the Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics. The person filling this position will be hired to work with college abortion groups to "organize students and women's health care providers" to participate in a national campaign to close down PRCs. The person is to direct national research on funding of PRCs and is to develop materials and "national press strategy" for the campaign.

NIFLA does not know if this person has yet been hired. However, the announced deadline for applications for the position was May 1, 2008. Thus, it is anticipated that anti-PRC activity will be escalated this fall on university campuses. Further, depending upon the results of the upcoming national election this November, it is not unreason­able to expect heightened attacks against PRCs at the federal level beginning next January.

How to Prepare
This articleis the first in a series giving you information on how to prepare for the coming assaults that are being planned. Since the work of PRCs is being intensely watched by those who would do us harm it must be emphasized that centers must understand the technical legal nuances that exist under which they must operate.

Used with permission from National Institute of Family and Life Advocates; Legal Tips, Volume xv, Number 6, June-July 2008/ NIFLA ¨ PO Box 42060 ¨ Fredericksburg, VA 22404. NIFLA's Legal Tips and Clinic Tips are written to provide instruction and counsel to help PRCs/PMCs understand the legal issues that they face. To subscribe to these excellent resources, go to www.nifla.org.