BLA1364

1343846989

Barrett's Laws
I decided to do an experiment which required me to go to a women's crisis pregnancy center in Jacksonville. My purpose was to find out if what I'd heard is true: that they make up their own facts to sway someone from choosing to get an Abortion. **The purpose of this project was not to take sides of pro-life or pro-choice but to find out if several of Barrett's Laws would be violated,** and they certainly were. I kept detailed notes on exact quotes during this visit, and was also given brochures in case I forgot anything. I wanted to be careful with this project because of the sensitive nature and was little nervous but I felt the only way to find out what information was actually given was to go straight to the source in person.

I made a visit to this center before work on a Wednesday, and was greeted by a receptionist who was very friendly, it was clear she wanted to help people. I asked if I could get some information and see a counselor, and the receptionist told me to have a seat in the waiting area. Once I was taken back to their "counseling room" I didn't know what to expect and prepared myself to stay calm and objective. This process took an hour and began with this counselor asking about my religious background almost as if I was getting a health assessment except it was on religious affiliation. She also demanded to know why I wasn't married yet (so much for unbiased advice and facts). There was a lot of information given, which I will get into more detail on in the Violations section. It was very hard through this to sit and listen knowing that I was being lied too.

After hearing what the counselor at the center had to say, and reading the brochures, my conclusion is that these centers intentionally distribute false information and end up interfering with proper healthcare. My concern about the healthcare aspect is that a pregnant woman absolutely needs to see a doctor and have regular checkups. This is regardless of the whether she will continue with the pregnancy or not. Healthcare is necessary, I cannot say this enough. I was told by this counselor that I shouldn't "bother going somewhere like Solantic because they just take too long to run tests". Those were her exact words, and keep in mind, I found that there were no licensed healthcare professionals at this facility qualified to diagnose anything or give medical advice. Not one of these people I spoke with was a doctor, nurse practitioner, RN, or LSCW. I am not in this type of situation, merely looking for facts. Yet I was met with judgment and criticism, and I feel sorry for someone who is in trouble and looking for help if they end up at a place like this.

Violations of Barrett's Law #1 Psychology is a "fuzzy" science, but it's still a science.
This could have fit under a couple of laws including #2 but I was swayed more to #1 because there is still debate over whether this is a valid disorder thus making it fuzzy. After researching I've found conflicting studies, [|here is more information.]
 * Counselor: "Women almost always regret abortions, and **who can say what** people's feelings will end up being...some have what is called Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome."

Violations of Barrett's Law #2 You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
[|No they do not.]
 * I was given a brochure entitled "Birth Control Pills" On the back it said, "..there is still the reality that birth control pills can and do kill little human beings".


 * The counselor stated that "//full term abortion is legal in some states, including South Florida I think//." South Florida isn't a separate state and the procedure she was talking about isn't legal anywhere (full term=36-40 weeks).

Violations of Barrett's Law # 4 Fight fire with fire, and data with data.
[|This is the actual failure rate data]
 * A brochure from this place stated that the failure rate of birth control pills is 40% after 10 years of use. This was shown with a very misleading graph. The truth is the effectiveness does not decrease from time but improper use.

[|No no no!] [|More information on effectiveness] The failure rate is higher than other forms of contraception, with typical use. See links for more information.
 * Counselor: "Natural family planning is the best way to prevent pregnancy..a lot better than these pills and shots"

Violations of Barrett's Law #5 There is power in precise terms.
No, they actually prevent conception in the first place when used correctly. This is twisting around precise terms and outright lying actually. [|This is what birth control pills actually do.]
 * I was told by a counselor at this center that, "birth control pills are bad because they **cause** abortions, since they are called //abortifacents//".

Violation of Barrett's Law #6 Correlation is not causation.
Two examples from this visit What? This is where things became more awkward and I hesitated to include it, but plenty of people use hammocks in their backyards and to any adult's knowledge are not a direct cause of pregnancy. Technically a body part could be a hand, and handholding is harmless.
 * Counselor: "You should stay away from backyard hammocks because that leads to body parts touching and pregnancy!"


 * Counselor: "Women who have abortions are twice as likely to develop breast cancer"

The National Cancer Institute [|says otherwise]