With the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday, a trigger law in Idaho will make abortion illegal in 30 days. With that trigger law in mind, Idahoans should be aware of another issue — what are known as "fake abortion clinics."
According to the National Library of Medicine, "fake abortion clinics" or "fake clinics" are businesses that advertise similar services to abortion clinics, but instead talk those who are pregnant through options to discourage them from having an abortion. Also known as crisis pregnancy centers, these businesses advertise similar to an abortion clinic. Instead, they don't provide abortions or offer a full range of health care for pregnant people or planning to get an abortion.
Related: Roe v. Wade overturned: Idaho's ban to take effect in 30 days, officials react
"Crisis pregnancy centers outnumber legitimate reproductive healthcare facilities three to one in this country, including in Idaho," said Legal Voice Senior Attorney Kim Clark. "It can often be very difficult when you do a search to tell what a real abortion clinic is versus a fake clinic."
Idaho News 6's partners at the Idaho Statesman reported a website called Expose Fake Clinics, a website designed to find these businesses. The website claims to have identified 21 of these businesses in Idaho, including seven in the Treasure Valley:
- Path Pregnancy Clinic - 1327 W. Beacon St., Boise
- Stanton Healthcare - 3684 N. Harbor Lane, Boise
- Lifeline Pregnancy Care Center - 524 Cleveland Blvd., Suite 150, Caldwell
- Stanton Healthcare - 2176 E. Franklin Rd., Suite 130, Meridian
- Birthright of Boise
- 1530 W. State St. Suite A, Meridian - Lifeline Pregnancy Care Center - 1323 12th Ave. S., Nampa
- Stanton Healthcare Mobile Unit
Planned Parenthood provides a list on its website of signs that could show whether an abortion clinic is one of these businesses:
- It's listed online as a "pregnancy resource center," "pregnancy help center," "pregnancy care center," "women's resource center," or "abortion alternatives."
- It advertises free pregnancy tests, abortion counseling, and other abortion services — but doesn't provide abortions themselves.
- It advertises "abortion pill reversal," or says you can "reverse" an abortion,
which is impossible. - It claims abortion is not safe and can lead to cancer or infertility, which is not true according to Planned Parenthood.
- It claims abortion is illegal — which is not true in Idaho until the trigger bill becomes law in 30 days.
- It makes negative claims about abortion, contraception and sexual intercourse.
- It does not provide contraceptive methods such as condoms, birth control pills, IUDs or other effective birth control methods.
- It tries to pressure you into continuing a pregnancy and sometimes offers baby clothes.
- Its employees attempt to talk about religion and how it regards abortions.
- Its employees say judgmental things about sex before marriage or LGBTQ+ people.
If you suspect a business to be one of these "fake clinics" advertising abortion in Idaho, you can report one of these businesses through the Idaho Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division or you can file a direct complaint through the Idaho Attorney General's website.
