Media Contact
Lindsay Lemmer
President, Madison NOW
608.217.5217
Lindsay@LindsayLemmer.com
Draped in The Handmaid’s Tale robes and bonnets, the Madison chapter of the National Organization for Women, working with other local progressive groups, will be on the sidewalk in front of Access Women’s Center on East Washington Avenue tomorrow morning, as part of their #ExposeFakeClinics campaign. They will be peacefully holding signs facing East Washington Avenue to call attention to Access Women’s Center deceptive activities.
Access Women’s Center is a facility often referred to as a Crisis Pregnancy Center, or CPC. CPCs lie to, shame and intentionally mislead women about their reproductive health care options to block them from accessing abortion care, and in Access’s case, birth control as well. In an effort to scare women away from considering abortion care, CPCs often provide false information about the consequences of abortion—including false claims that abortion causes breast cancer, sterility, and psychological damage.
“Access Women’s Center intentionally uses a very similar name as an actual clinic just down the street – Access Community Center,” said Lindsay Lemmer, president of the Madison chapter of NOW. “Access Women’s Center does not employ any medical professionals, and lures people who fear they’re pregnant through their doors with deceptive advertising and a misleading moniker, all with the goal of preventing folks from accessing abortion care. We have recently seen a lot of CPC advertising in public spaces such as Madison Metro buses. We’re doing this action to help people understand those ads for free pregnancy tests are not placed by real clinics, but rather facilities that intentionally deceive vulnerable people. Women need to be trusted to make the best decisions for themselves, their families, and their futures, and given the facts in order to make the most informed decision possible. They won’t get that at Access Women’s Center, but they will at an actual clinic.”
According to NOW, CPCs are often made to look like medical facilities, yet they don’t practice medicine, nor do they use medical facts or standardized ethics. There are close to 4,000 fake clinics all over the country vs. only 780 real abortion providers.
Rally details
Expose Fake Clinics Rally
Saturday, November 4, 10:30-11:30 am
Sidewalk in front of Access Women’s Center
2701 East Washington Ave
Madison, WI 53704
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About the National Organization for Women (NOW)
The Madison chapter of the National Organization for Women (winow.org) has more than 300 members and is a multi-issue, multi-generational organization working to bring about increased rights and increased involvement for Wisconsin women. The National Organization for Women (www.now.org) is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States. NOW has 550 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
About The Handmaid’s Tale
(Synopsis from Hulu) Adapted from the classic novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism in its militarized ‘return to traditional values’. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world. In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.