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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Ladies Do Not Trust These Billboards to Give You Pregnancy Advice

Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 10:10 AM

Know Your Options outside of Rebar, totally outshined by a Spicy Chicken Burger.

Know Your Options outside of Rebar, totally outshined by a Spicy Chicken Burger.

Perhaps you've seen these billboards targeted at teenagers and unexpectedly pregnant women going up in downtown Seattle, Ballard, and the International District? They're pimping a website that claims to explore pregnant women's options 'when you need to know.'

Slog tipper Tyler writes, "They are pretty explicitly directed to teenagers who have become unexpectedly pregnant, and while they claim to be addressing all the options fairly, their 'Abortion Stories' page pretty much reads like Christian Pro-Life Dead-Baby-Porn."

It isn't readily apparent from the billboard that Your Options is an anti-choice organization. Their website doesn't mention any religious affiliation, and while it does have an "Abortion Resources" link, they don't actually provide links to any abortion service provider. In fact, the only mention of Planned Parenthood is on the site's Abortion Stories page. Here, you will learn all about pregnant women being coerced or "lied to" by someone—doctor, boyfriend, friend—and driven to Planned Parenthood to take care of their "problem." Forever after, "hearing a baby cry anywhere causes a sudden, sharp pain" in their hearts.

Just for kicks, heres a Dreamy Baby outside of Bauhaus. Please dont abort it, begs ProLife Across America.

Just for kicks, here's a Dreamy Baby outside of Bauhaus. Please don't abort it, begs ProLife Across America.

The bill that would've held religious pregnancy centers accountable for being honest in their advertising and up front about the services they don't provide—abortion referrals, birth control, comprehensive women's health care—is dead. So these billboards can advertise sites that promote scare tactics to vulnerable women. It's sickening that the legislature failed to pass a measure to fix this problem.

So: If you have a fertile teen, you might consider driving past one of these billboards, explaining its duplicitous nature, and then laying out all of their real options, in full.

Comments (24) RSS

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's funny how they can whinge about Planned Parenthood "lying", but can't seem to tell the truth about their own intentions.

Posted by COMTE

on March 16, 2011 at 10:15 AM

Oh man, I can't wait to hear what Dina Martina has to say about the sign hanging on the outside of Rebar's Place...

Posted by David Schmader on March 16, 2011 at 10:26 AM

Is the McDonald's sandwich literally bursting from the billboard a metaphor for child birth?

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on March 16, 2011 at 10:45 AM

I've seen one of these in Greenwood. Pretty much assumed it must be Christianist in nature; good to know my Goddar is in full working order.

Posted by Levislade

on March 16, 2011 at 10:50 AM

Damn that dreamy baby, too! That is the bullshittiest bullshit billboard ever and I *HATE* walking by it to go to work every day. I especially love how they place the "17 weeks from conception" closer to the image than the "info" to imply that that's what babies look like @ 17 weeks.

Posted by More, I Say! on March 16, 2011 at 10:51 AM

aren't those dreamy baby ads just promoting prenatal healthcare?

Posted by kraut on March 16, 2011 at 10:53 AM

Wait, what about McDonalds chicken sandwiches??? Are they not really made out of chicken.

Posted by IHDS on March 16, 2011 at 10:55 AM

Not to sound all conspiracy theorist, but those "abortion stories" on their site are all written in a suspiciously similar voice. Maybe it was the same person writing out stories told to him/her orally? Or maybe. MAYBE. They're made up. I mean, they clearly want you to think abortion is the worst possible choice you could make - it will lead only to regret and hemorrhage. And it's a difficult choice, so I don't doubt that some people do regret it, and do hemorrhage. But do they all phrase it so similarly?

Posted by Jesica on March 16, 2011 at 11:31 AM

Convicted murderers on death row and enemy combatants can dream too. Does that mean we shouldn't abort them?

Posted by Mischa Vainburg on March 16, 2011 at 11:48 AM

Yeah, there's one of those near me. I've got pretty good bullshit detectors, so it was pretty immediately apparent that it was put up by manipulative jesusphiliac douchebags. I mean, look at it - it's clearly invoking Twilight with its visual style, so it's targeted toward teenage girls in a vaguely creepy, predatory way, and the text on it is all so vague and furtive - you have "options," girls! - that it just screams, "Surprise! Evangelist psychoterrorism! By the way, don't tell your parents!"

Posted by balderdash

on March 16, 2011 at 11:52 AM

I just noticed one in Ballard last night.

@4 and 10,

The font immediately gives it away. Christers have terrible design sense.

Posted by keshmeshi on March 16, 2011 at 11:57 AM

@11, "Christians have terrible design sense."

I snort-chuckled. Goldy is staring. Thanks for that!

Posted by Cienna Madrid on March 16, 2011 at 12:12 PM

Why is the author of this post using the term "pro-life" to refer to anti-choice, anti-abortion activists and organizations? I understand why those people want to use the term "pro-life" to describe themselves, but, as everyone reading this post knows, it's NOT an accurate term and its purpose is to portray those of us who support a woman's right to choose as "anti-life" - which we aren't.

I appreciate your post, Ms. Madrid, but please reconsider your terminology.

Posted by beena on March 16, 2011 at 12:50 PM

Hearing a baby cry causes me a short, sharp pain, too. In my eardrums.

Posted by Geni on March 16, 2011 at 12:55 PM

Has the Rebar had issues with people performing abortions in its parking lot?

Also, that billboard outside Bauhaus would be way better if someone would please climb up there and draw a thought bubble coming from the baby depicting the baby strangling its mother in her sleep. That'd make the kids think twice.

Posted by Dougsf on March 16, 2011 at 1:12 PM

@13, thanks for the reminder. One of the groups is ProLife America, so I can't really change that, and I'm actually quoting someone in the piece, so I can't change that, either. But I threw in an "anti-choice" just for you.

Posted by Cienna Madrid on March 16, 2011 at 1:13 PM

One of the stories starts: "On a rainy, windy day in March..." Come on, seriously?

Posted by new york state of mind on March 16, 2011 at 1:24 PM

@15 everyday when I walk by that billboard I fantasize of different ways to vandalize it. If it wasn't for the cars and the food cart below it I would have hit it with a molotov cocktail by now. Or one of those spray paint cannons. Or...

Posted by Njoy on March 16, 2011 at 3:08 PM

@18, I want to see all of the anti-choice propaghanda vandalized, or better yet, parodied, as well.
What I want to see is all of these ads kept the same with one small difference: take the babies out of the ads and substitute a variety of undesirable (at least to their target demographic) people, mostly teenagers. Theres near my place in Ballard that says "Grandpa says I'm a looker." Imagine that with some skanky ave-rat jugalo chick on it instead.

Posted by Tingleyfeeln on March 16, 2011 at 4:54 PM

Well the junk food ad nearby is appropritate. It lets young women know that this is where they will work for years if they have a kid they can't take care of and what they will be able to afford perhaps once every couple of days.

Posted by curtisp on March 16, 2011 at 5:24 PM

Agreed, @18. I'm not the vandalism type, but two things make me really want to use a paint ball gun: those billboards (woudn't they look great with some big red splotches in the center?) and the pristine marble walls found around Temple Square. I'm sure the latter would get me life in prison in Utah.

Posted by StuckInUtah on March 16, 2011 at 8:46 PM

There's an organization in my city called Sources for Women. They've been running commercials starring attractive young women talking about how wonderful their lives were, then they decided to have sex with their boyfriends and got pregnant. They were panicked and didn't know what to do. Then they "Called Sources for Women. They helped me know for sure."

Every time it is on, I want to yell at the TV, "Helped you know what?" I promise you it isn't where the nearest abortion provider is.

Posted by Sheryl on March 16, 2011 at 9:12 PM

Man, it seems like every abortion story I read culminates in the woman feeling desperately sorry for her choice, depressed that it happened and forever hanging on to the fetus-that-would-be. Where are the women that got knocked up, got an abortion and called it a day? Apparently 1 in 3 women will terminate a pregnancy before they turn 45 or something like that, so where are all of the ones that just got it done and DON'T feel depressed on the due-date anniversary? I know you're out there, I can't be the only one.

Posted by KayElle on April 15, 2011 at 1:00 PM

I've worked in the sexual health field a long time, and come to this conclusion: I don't care if anti-choice groups want to promote any-option-but-abortion. That's their right. But I will not put up with groups trying to have the law reflect their opinion. So sure, try and sway me with your tacky billboards. Just don't make the final choice FOR me.

That said, any place claiming to be a health centre or claiming to give accurate information on all pregnancy options absolutely shouldn't be telling women and girls abortion myths or terror stories.

Posted by TeaHag on April 15, 2011 at 1:57 PM