Write an Honest Review on Facebook, Google, or Yelp
You can also upvote real reviews on these sites and report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission!
Fake clinics do NOT provide or refer for abortion, nor do they provide non-judgmental options counseling (which, btw, all abortion providers do!). Yet, they advertise using phrases like "abortion counseling" or "pregnancy resources" to try to trick people seeking reproductive health information into walking through their doors.
Through review sites and reporting to authorities, you can combat this misinformation. Here are the steps to take to leave reviews that will make the most impact:
STEP 1: Review our chatbot to keep your privacy, private! Then…Pick your “clinics”
Select by clicking through our map view or the state-by-state list. Reproaction also has a fake clinic database that’s searchable!
STEP 2: Put your consumer hat on
Take a good hard look at the fake clinic’s website, putting yourself in the shoes of someone that’s looking for an actual abortion provider or reproductive health services. Ask:
Does it seem like they’re selling themselves as a medical facility? Are there pictures of people dressed in lab coats? While some fake clinics do have anti-choice medical staff on their payroll, most are just pretending to be medical centers to get folks in the door.
How much do they talk about counseling vs. actual services they provide? How long did you have to spend on the site before you read that they do NOT provide abortion services or referrals?
What services DO they provide? Prenatal care? To what extent? Birth control? What kind? Obria clinics for example claim to provide birth control but only promote “natural family planning” (i.e. the pullout method) through the highly problematic Femm App that intentionally sows doubt about hormonal birth control.
Do they advertise services like “limited ultrasound?”—this means any unlicensed person can conduct it and the state doesn’t recognize it—yikes! Laboratory-rated urine pregnancy tests? That’s any old test you can get at CVS.
Do they promote “Abortion Pill Reversal” or anything else that contradicts basic science like the medically disproven “risks” of abortion like breast cancer, mental health problems, future infertility or fetal risk, sexual disfunction or “post-abortion stress syndrome?”
What’s their mission statement? Do they use terms like “abortion-vulnerable women,” “pre-born,” “Christian-based,'“ or “promoting a culture of life?” Fake clinics are getting sneakier about co-opting language like “non-judgmental” and “be informed.”
Do they they offer free stuff like diapers and clothes? Do you have to take classes or do anything to earn this material support?
STEP 3: Want to go deeper? Give them a call.
And remember: you’re calling to find out what services they do and do not offer and how they’re presenting themselves to the public. You don’t have to sound like a cis woman to call — you can be a friend, partner, sibling. You can even dial *67 before the number if you don’t want them to have your number. Here are some prompts you can use:
I’m pregnant and I’m scared / want to get an abortion / need help. Can I get an abortion there? Can you help me get an abortion?
I think I’m pregnant. Can I get a pregnancy test there? Can I get birth control? Can you tell me where I can get the pill?
What’s going to happen during my appointment? Will I see a doctor/nurse? Will someone give me a pap smear? How will you check to see if my baby’s okay?
I’m pregnant and I already have kids. Can you help all of my kids? How?
[If they mention they’ll help if you attend their classes] What if I don’t have time to go to the classes? Can I still get help?
STEP 4: Write your review
Remember—You’re writing these reviews for people that could fall for false advertising. You must be HONEST and legit, otherwise credibility flies out the door. We’re exposing manipulation, not making it up out of thin air. This is NOT the time to be funny or snarky. Be specific and phrase your reviews succinctly, or they may be taken down. Some example language:
This place doesn’t provide abortion or refer to anywhere that does, although their name [especially if they have “choice” or “options” in their name] and the site makes it sound like they do.
This is not an abortion clinic. When I called they told me that …
If you want to discuss abortion or birth control options, find a real healthcare provider (ineedana.com)
STEP 5: report any shady bait & switch tactics
Yes, tricking people by offering one thing but giving the opposite is fraud aka illegal. No, it’s not being enforced against fake clinics…yet.
There are federal laws in place to stop fraudulent phony advertising and straight up lying, but our overworked civil servants often don’t know about bad behavior unless you report it!
Check out examples and follow our step-by-step guide to report lies, shady advertising or trickster behavior HERE
***Pro tip: Reviewing fake clinics is WAY more fun when you're doing it as a team! We highly encourage you to grab a bottle of wine and get your feminist book club together to organize a fun REVIEW-A-THON! Our downloadable toolkit includes all kinds of ideas and tools for making your event fun + successful.