Ensnared by the Care Net

To the average UVM student, fliers advertising the pregnancy center, Care Net, are little more than one of the countless papers that they see and soon forget over the course of a day.

Care Net is a local Vermont pregnancy crisis center, located on Colchester Avenue, according to the centerÕs website.

The center has a presence on the campuses of both UVM and Burlington High School.

But to those familiar with the practices of Care Net and their ties to the increasingly vocal pro-life movement, it is a grim reminder that more than 40 years after Roe V. Wade, a womanÕs right to choose is still in jeopardy.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers are evangelical Christian organizations that offer free Òpregnancy tests and relationship counseling,Ó according to Care NetÕs flier.

They operate under the illusion of being legitimate health centers, on par with well-established clinics such as Planned Parenthood.

However, unlike more objective organizations, their sole purpose is to further their religious message.

Furthermore they strive and deter young women from seeking abortion, regardless of individual wishes or personal circumstance.

Thus, by nature, their interests lie not in the complete council of young women, but in the advancement of their own social and political agendas.

Care Net is guilty of a lot more than just being biased Ñthey spread propaganda and, worse yet, blatantly false information opposing abortion.

For example, on their website Care Net suggests a tie between abortion and breast cancer.

However they lack to provide any evidence supporting this ridiculous claim.

Fliers obtained from a Care Net facility suggest a warped and overly-moralistic stance.

It stretches beyond just the abortion debate, with some of them condemning birth control and the morning after pill, while others preach abstinence.

One flier even claims that abortion can incite Òuncontrollable rageÓ in men.

As if that were really a viable fact about this medical procedure. It is another claim that fails to be supported by fact on the centerÕs website.

But what is perhaps most disturbing about Care Net is the deceptive tactics it employs to coerce young women to visit its centers.

With its ÒcutesyÓ name and the promise of Òconfidential and nonjudgementalÓ treatment, Care Net paints the picture of a safe and doting environment.

ÒBased on the fliers, this definitely seems like a place I would go,Ó first-year Michelle Marin said. ÒThey seem very nurturing.Ó

The organizationÕs fliers pay no mention to Care NetÕs religious affiliation or staunch anti-abortion stance.

This leads the average observer to believe it is a legitimate and unbiased source of help.

Care NetÕs presence at both UVM and Burlington High School is telling as well.

An unwanted pregnancy can be absolutely terrifying at these already vulnerable times in a young womanÕs life, making her far more susceptible to Care NetÕs propaganda.

Once inside the facility, women are subject to manipulative tactics Ñ such as required ultrasounds and readings of religious literature that instill guilt and shame in those who may consider abortion.

Through this, these types of centers seek to undercut the law and restrict a womanÕs right to choose.

Abortion is not the right choice for everyone.

But for proper guidance and care during a pregnancy one should seek objective and nonpartisan health centers such as Planned Parenthood.

Of course, Care Net does serve a purpose; if you feel brave, they are a source of drug store pregnancy tests and numerous fliers that offer outdated clipart, which are a laughable read.