Young Americans from Generation Z who will vote for the first time in the presidential election face issues that affect them in very particular ways. The Duty met with them in several states to explore the issues that motivate them to go to the polls in November.
Online, the Birthright of Charlotte Center says it offers “free, confidential services to anyone experiencing an unplanned or problematic pregnancy.” It offers free pregnancy tests, “compassionate care” and “confidential sessions to discuss your options.”
There’s no indication to women who walk into his office in a pretty house just minutes from downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, that they’re about to enter an anti-abortion clinic.
Because Birthright of Charlotte is affiliated with Birthright International, an international religious and anti-abortion network founded in Toronto in 1968. Its mission is to provide help and resources to pregnant women, promising “non-judgmental” support but not stating its position on abortion and working to convince women not to have one.
In the United States, there are between 2,500 and 4,000 anti-abortion centers, about three times the number of abortion clinics. A reflection of the ideological battle raging in the country, which is one of the major issues in the current presidential campaign.
Little stockings as a gift
Young women waiting in the reception area may have suspicions about the true nature of the place when they enter the “interview room,” which is shown around by Mark Collver, 69, who has been working at the centre as a volunteer since it opened last December.
In one corner of the room, several models of developing fetuses, in all colors and sizes, are displayed on a small table. Next to it, an old brown armchair faces two chairs, where the volunteers conduct their interviews.
From this first meeting, they question the women (mostly in their twenties) at length in order to understand the reasons for their visit.
They then give them a list of resources, including housing assistance agencies or places that offer free medical care, Collver said. However, he declined to give the Duty.
“We show them, in a contextual way, how to get the support they need to overcome the barriers that push them to consider abortion,” he explains.
Mark then points to a basket of pink and blue stockings knitted by his wife and other church members. “We also give them their first baby gift. The women definitely cry when they see them,” he says with a big smile.
Then he picks up an iPad and opens a pregnancy tracking app. On the screen, we see a 3D fetus, while a recorded heartbeat can be heard.
“This is one of our tools. If someone is undecided and considering the worst decision, we can use it to show a picture and listen to the baby’s heartbeat,” he explains.
The volunteer finally approaches the table where the many fetal models are displayed — another way to “make it real” for undecided women, he says.
“God created men and women to reproduce. A life is a body and a soul. God infuses that soul into a newborn at the moment of conception. So a baby, a life in the womb, is no different from us on the outside,” he says.
He then takes the smallest model, barely bigger than one of his fingers, into his hands. The longtime anti-abortion activist says he often keeps one in his pocket to show women when he protests outside abortion clinics.
The taboo option
We then settle into a small room with walls covered with illustrations of angels and portraits of mothers and babies. On a desk, a statue of the Virgin Mary adds to the collection of religious decorations.
Mark Collver explains that at Birthright Charlotte, they are very careful to never use the taboo word. “We don’t make any reference to abortion. In fact, we don’t even say the word. If they’re considering it, we don’t stop them, but we don’t direct them.” [vers des services] “no more,” he says cautiously.
In his eyes, abortion is not a solution under any circumstances – not even in the case of a pregnancy resulting from rape.
“Why punish the baby for the actions of a rapist? You have to punish the rapist. There are two traumas here: being raped and killing your child. The value of a life does not depend on how that life was conceived,” he believes.
Fake clinics
In addition to organizations like Birthright, other antiabortion centers try to attract pregnant women by misrepresenting themselves as medical clinics, offering free ultrasounds or access to medical personnel, said Tara Romano, the executive director of Pro Choice North Carolina, a reproductive rights organization in the state.
“These clinics don’t actually offer any health care,” she says. Instead, once inside, women are pressured to keep their babies.
There are nearly 100 abortion clinics across the state of North Carolina, compared to 16 actual abortion clinics.
As California attorney general, Vice President Kamala Harris advocated for stricter regulations on abortion clinics. Before being defeated by the Supreme Court in 2018, a California law required abortion clinics to disclose that they were not licensed medical centers and to provide information about available abortion services.
During his time in Charlotte, The Duty contacted nine abortion centers and fake clinics near downtown. Birthright of Charlotte was the only center that agreed to an interview; the other facilities said the person in charge was out or sick, or simply declined the interview without offering an explanation.
When we knocked on the door of the PRC of Charlotte, which bills itself as “a nonprofit medical clinic that provides medical services, accurate information and emotional support,” a woman dressed as a nurse gave us an email address to request a visit. A quick search revealed that the domain of the email address in question belongs to the Human Coalition, an anti-abortion organization.
The “graduates”
In the kitchen of the Birthright center, Mark Collver and his wife reveal the final surprise that is reserved for women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term. About 50 gift bags cover part of the floor behind the kitchen table.
Opening the bag, his wife first takes out two packages of diapers, then a set of pink pajamas, followed by baby wipes and finally some baby care products. All of the items come from donations received by the organization, the couple said.
“We always give them [les petits bas de laine] and the resource sheet. But they’re also told that if they come back just before they’re due, they’ll get a gift bag,” Collver said.
The couple of volunteers say they are convinced that they can offer them all, with the popularity that the center has gained in recent months. Over the next three weeks, every day is filled with appointments, they congratulate themselves.
“Sometimes people make appointments but don’t show up because they don’t have transportation. So we order Ubers so they can come,” his wife says.
The couple finally walks through the kitchen, then down a narrow hallway toward the exit. “And these are our graduates!” Mark Collver exclaims, pointing to the wall. About a dozen small photos of newborns—the babies of women who have used the center—hang on a corkboard. Their names and dates of birth are written on the back of each photo.
Right next to it, a second corkboard, completely empty, is ready to be filled with more “graduate” photos.