A few weeks ago, Broadsheet commented on a scary Washington Post article about how so-called pregnancy resource centers have received more than $60 million in grants for abstinence education and other programs from the Bush administration. The article also found that more than a third of the funding under the auspices of "faith-based initiatives" is going to these bogus health organizations, which often advertise under "abortion services" in the Yellow Pages.
Today, Broadsheet received a press release from Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., with even more troubling news about these centers. The release, titled "Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers Mislead Teens About Abortion Risks," reports that a new study sponsored by Rep. Waxman found that investigators who called federally funded centers posing as pregnant 17-year-olds were provided false or misleading information about the health effects of abortion, including that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility and mental illness.
For example, operators at seven of the 25 centers called told the caller that having an abortion could hurt her chances of having children in the future. One center said that damage from abortion could lead to "many miscarriages" or to "permanent damage" so "you wouldn't be able to carry," telling the caller that this is "common" and happens "a lot." For more details about these truly disturbing findings, go here.
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