Not an April Fools Joke: Lilith Fair to Give $$ to CPCs?

The woman-centric music tour, Lilith Fair, is making a comeback and this year, they are donating one dollar from every ticket sold in each of the tour's 36 stops to a women's charity in that city. Right on.

Once you become a fan on the tour's official facebook page, you can then vote for the local organization you'd like to see receive the dough.

But wait...WHY ARE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS ON THE LIST?!?

Lilith Fair prides itself on being pro-choice and all for women's empowerment, so why would they include anti-choice centers that purposefully misinform women about abortion, birth control, and their pregnancy options, on the list of charities to donate to? A spokesperson for the tour claims that a simple online search for women's charities in the local areas turned the CPCs up, and they were added to the list without question or further investigation. Just goes to show you how deceptive these fake clinics really are!

Well, now the lack of attention on the part of the tour organizers is backfiring. Lilith fans are, not surprisingly, causing an uproar, both online and with questions for the tour's organizers. A facebook page called "Lilth Fair: No Money for Crisis Pregnancy Centers" already has over 985 fans.

Tour organizers have essentially stated that the CPCs will remain on the list and it will be up to local residents to vote and decide what they want their money going to. However, the tour founders (Sarah McLachlan, Terry McBride, Dan Fraser and Marty Diamond) will make the final call between the top three charities in each city.

While I can't imagine the CPCs stand a chance at winning (though you never know - they do have an army of supporters behind them), the fact that the tour will not remove them from the list of possible charities is outrageous. Including these bogus centers that deceive and misinform women among the list of credible, honest and effective organizations that promote women's health and empowerment only serves to legitimize the fake clinics and give them credit where none is due.

The facebook page has a new update that makes it seem like the tour organizers may be realizing what a mess they've gotten themselves into and may be changing their stance, but we'll have to wait and see. We'll keep you updated!

And don't forget! April is the month to Expose Fake Clinics! CPCs often target college campuses with their deceptive advertisements and false information, so be sure to educate students on your campus about their harmful practices. Join the campaign!

Don't Be Fooled By Fake Clinics During the Month of April

The FMF's “Don’t Be Fooled By Fake Clinics” Day of Action is TOMORROW! But between spring break and spring fever, it's alright if you don't have an action planned - you can take action any time during the month of April!

With $250 million being funneled back into failed abstinence-only programs, we're sure to see MILLIONS of OUR TAX DOLLARS going to fuel fake clinics' false information and deceptive advertising.

It is crucial that you help get the word out about fake clinics near your campus. You can teach students the truth about the quacks at Crisis Pregnancy Centers by:

- Getting the word out with educational “Don’t Be Fooled” Facts, candy and condoms
- Having students sign our petition to stop deceptive advertising and funding for fake clinics
- Screening our investigative videos
- Proposing a "Truth in Advertising" disclaimer on campus if your campus health center refers to CPCs, or campus newspaper accepts ads from CPCs

Check out our “Don’t Be Fooled By Fake Clinics” Action Series for more ideas. Don’t let the quacks of fake clinics fool students on your campus!

Photo courtesy of flikr.com

Don't Be Fooled By Fake Clinics Action Series: Educate Your Campus with "Don't Be Fooled" Facts

Fact: No one can resist free candy. So, this April Fools' Day, use this fact to your advantage and join our "Don't Be Fooled By Fake Clinics" Day of Action by passing out "Don't Be Fooled" Facts, tied to pieces of candy.

On slips of paper, write examples of the kinds of falsehoods that CPCs perpetuate, and then write the FACT to counter those false claims. Staple these to little pieces of candy. You can buy it in bulk and save money.

Here's an example of what your tag would look like:

CPCs say that abortion causes breast cancer. But don't be fooled!

FACT: Scientists disagree. Organizations such as the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the American Cancer Society ALL say that no such link exists.

Don't be fooled by the [name of nearby fake clinic] at [location]. Instead, get comprehensive reproductive health care at [name of local comprehensive women's health clinic] at [location].

Or, here's another example.

CPCs say that abortion leads to mental illness. But don't be fooled!

FACT: An eleven-year longitudinal study of 13,000 women found that women who give birth have the same rate of need for psychological treatment as women who have abortions.

Don't be fooled by the [name of nearby fake clinic] at [location]. Instead, get comprehensive reproductive health care at [name of local comprehensive women's health clinic] at [location].


These little snapshots of fake clinic scare tactics will make students on your campus as angry as they make you, so ask them to join your campaign!

In addition to using chocolate to get the word out, you can also make handy (and informative!) table tents to place on all of the dining hall tables. The table tents should identify the CPCs near your campus and warn students about what types of so-called "services" they might receive there.

Grab some candy, paper and a stapler and get the word out!

PS - To identify your local fake clinic, visit www.optionline.org and punch in your zip code. (PLEASE NOTE: This is an anti-choice website with false and misleading information).