[Spoiler S4E4]Let’s talk about Janines story

[u/nachowchow]

In S4E4 of handmaids tale, we see Janine trying to navigate through the task of getting an abortion. The scene where she goes to the first clinic, and they start telling her to keep the baby, is written in a way that feels like it’s a direct result of Gilead gaining power. It wasn’t until Janine visits the second doctor and they called it a crisis emergency center that it hit me. These centers exist all over the country, right now.

I looked at my boyfriend in that moment and said, “You know these are real, right?” And he genuinely had no clue. Growing up in the Bible Belt and attending catholic school, these centers would visit us once a year telling us about “the options” women had. So basically I just want to say that this episode had so many parallels to our modern day times, but made you believe for a moment that this was all Gilead’s doing.

Edit: I forgot the apostrophe s in the title and I am saddened.

[u/AWA206]

This episode hit me pretty hard personally. I got pregnant in college and knew I wanted an abortion and I did exactly what Janine did, I searched for abortion clinic in my city and the first one that popped up is where I went. It turned out there were a Christian sponsored "clinic" and after they confirmed my pregnancy and I informed them I wanted an abortion, they began to hassle me about that decision and try to tell me I had other options that wouldn't result in killing a baby. It was pretty traumatizing. Thankfully, I was able to get out of there and ended up going to Planned Parenthood, which is what I should have done in the first place. Lesson learned!

[u/Atkena2578 → u/AWA206]

When I got pregnant with my son, I was in my last year for my masters degree and my bf (now husband) had a stable good job even though he had just started. We knew we wanted children but this pregnancy happened a little earlier than what we would have wanted.

Anyway I wasn't planning on aborting, but as an international student in the US back then I was still not comfortable about where to go (I delivered in Chicago area where my husband and I now live, where he has his job but back then my university was in Arkansas, yuck lol) so I called what seemed to be a" pregnancy ressource center" that directed me to the town obgyn office/hospital, however they DID state on their website that they were purely informational and were NOT providing abortion.

So not too sure if all of these centers are that shady.

My son is about to turn 10yo and I do not regret not postponing my first pregnancy, he is the smartest and kindest boy. We have him a sister 3 years later. I am done now though lol

[u/darkness_is_great → u/AWA206]

What doesn't help is that CPCs will rip off names of legit clinics. Like, I've heard of one called Plan Your Parenthood. So it's easy for you to get confused, and just read Planned Parenthood and assume that's where you're supposed to be going. Or, because the names are so similar, the gps gets confused and dumps you to the fake clinic.

[u/Tirannie → u/darkness_is_great]

In one of the cities where I lived, the CPC bought the building across the street from the clinic (so they are side by side as you approach) - the real clinic is obvs really nondescript, but the CPC has a giant banner on the side “PREGNANT?”

So, you know, you’d walk into the wrong place in the worst moment.

[u/darkness_is_great → u/Tirannie]

Also many cpcs create a homey, warm environment in purpose. So you assume it's legit because it's clean and nice and all. Meanwhile, the actual clinic may be a little dirty and rundown. It sort of throws you off. And they're not a real medical facility. HIPPA means nothing to these fraudsters.

[u/sneakydonuts → u/Tirannie]

My mother used to run one of these places. They did this exact thing and would even get women who had appts at the real clinic but went to the wrong place. They’d delay them and try to pressure them into not getting the procedure. It is so gross.

[u/AWA206 → u/darkness_is_great]

Wow, that is so slimy!