Anti-Choice Clinic Sued For Allegedly Endangering Woman's Life

A woman in Massachusetts is suing a so-called pregnancy crisis center for failing to identify and treat an ectopic pregnancy that later landed her in the hospital for emergency surgery. We'll dive deeper into what else these deceptive clinics are and how they're spreading across the country. But first, the details of this case are worth talking about. So the woman, known as Jane Doe, filed a class action

lawsuit on Thursday in the Worcester Superior Court alleging that Clearway Clinic didn't follow standard medical care. The suit also claims that Clearway engages in deceptive practices to learn people seeking the full range of pregnancy options when its actual purpose is just to dissuade them from getting abortions. According to the lawsuit, the woman believed she was pregnant and she wanted to get an ultrasound just to confirm

her suspicion. So she did an online search of ultrasound providers and found Clearway's website, which entices people to schedule an ultrasound with the promise of being seen at a state licensed medical clinic by board certified doctors and nurses who will diagnose the pregnancy's viability. Now, thinking that this was a legitimate medical facility that she could trust, the woman booked an appointment through the website, was contacted

right away by Clearway and went in for an appointment later that same day. Now, a nurse at Clearway conducted limited ultrasounds and diagnosed the pregnancy as viable and in utero. The woman was not seen by a Clearway physician despite being a nurse at Clearway. She was being given paperwork upon discharge that her care was provided by a medical doctor. And we've already run into a major

red flag here. Nurses are not licensed to read ultrasounds or diagnose pregnancies in the state of Massachusetts. And it turns out that the pregnancy was not, in fact, in her uterus, but rather in her fallopian tube, what's known as an ectopic pregnancy. According to medical professionals, an ectopic pregnancy can be not perceived normally for one because the fertilized egg can't survive. If the fertilized egg implants

in the fallopian tube, it cannot move or be moved to the uterus. It always requires treatment. And that treatment is termination of the pregnancy abortion. Beyond the fact that these pregnancies aren't viable, they're also extremely dangerous to the mother if they are not treated. But since the crisis center failed to inform the woman that her pregnancy was an ectopic pregnancy, it was allowed to keep developing.

In November of 2022, the month after Misto visited Clearway, she experienced sharp and shooting pain in her side, causing her to be lightheaded and weak so much so that she was unable to call 911 for assistance and required her husband to do so. She was rushed to the emergency department at a nearby hospital where she was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and internal hemorrhage caused by

the pregnancy's rupture. Because the ectopic pregnancy had ruptured, the medical staff were unable to assess Misto for less invasive treatment of the ectopic pregnancy, causing her to undergo invasive emergency surgery to stop the hemorrhaging, which included the removal of one of her fallopian tubes. Just absolutely brutal, insane. Now, her complaint alleges that Clearway did not adhere to the standard of medical care which would have led

them to diagnose the ectopic pregnancy properly. And because of their failure, she could have died from internal bleeding. Now, Clearway represents itself to the public as a legitimate clinic, providing quality care. But its true goal is just to dissuade patients from terminating their pregnancies. On their website, there's a paragraph that reads as follows. We know you may want to get out of this situation as fast

as possible, but this is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. It's not a decision to be made too quickly. At Clearway Clinic, we do not provide a refer for abortions, but we will provide the information you need to make a fully informed choice. Now, they list questions for women considering abortions, like the following. Are you being pressured into having an abortion? This

from pain caused by a previous abortion? What do you know about fetal development? Now, all of these questions are framed in a way to make the woman feel guilty if she's considering an abortion, or even question whether or not she'll be mentally stable after having an abortion. Ironically, they also ask on the website, have there been any lawsuits filed against the doctor or the clinic? Interesting.

Now, Clearway also provides something called abortion pill reversal for women who regret getting a medication abortion. They claim to have saved hundreds of babies with this treatment, but the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say it's not based on science and do not meet clinical standards. So this woman who filed the lawsuit was forced to undergo a traumatic and completely avoidable emergency surgery to save her

life because she was deceived by a clinic that practices debunked science and has a clear agenda. And unfortunately, these faux clinics are gaining in numbers. The Massachusetts-based group reproductive equity now said anti-abortion centers outnumbered real abortion clinics in the state three to one. Unfortunately, that figure is about the same nationally, but the ratio is even higher in Republican controlled states. And despite pushing a clear agenda,

crisis pregnancy centers, also known as CPCS, receive millions of dollars in taxpayer money every year. So you're likely funding them. Between 2010 and 2022, at least 13 states have funneled roughly $495 million to these pregnancy crisis centers that try to steer women away from having abortions. Texas leads the pack where $204 million in taxpayer money has been handed over to these clinics since 2010. The good

news in the fight for reproductive rights is that all the anti-abortion messaging coming from Republicans looks to be backfiring even among people in their own right-wing base. According to recent polling, support for abortion rights is higher than it's been in decades. Well, over three-fourths of Democrats are in favor of first trimester abortions when the vast majority of abortions happen. Perhaps more surprising to some, half of

self-identified conservatives now think abortion should be legal in the first trimester up from just 39% in 2018. And support for legal abortion care has generally increased among independents since the year 2000. Plus, a poll conducted in late March and early April by the Pew Research Center found that 62% of Americans, including 39% of Republicans, think states are making it too hard rather than too easy to

get an abortion. In Florida specifically, where Ron DeSantis passed a six week abortion, voters in both parties say they want to protect reproductive rights. A University of North Florida poll in March found 75% of the respondents said that they either somewhat or strongly opposed the six week ban. That included 61% of Republicans. Look, this is anecdotal evidence, and you should always take anecdotal evidence with a

grain of salt, but it does bolster that study or that poll. I was just recently in Florida. And the time I was in Florida prior to that, everyone I spoke to was enamored with Ron DeSantis. All of a sudden, not so much. After the six week abortion ban, why are the women conservative women, Republican women that I spoke to there, soured on him? All of a

sudden, they weren't in favor of him. So I do think that rolling back reproductive rights played a huge role in how poorly Republicans performed in the midterm elections. I'm curious to see if that is enough to help Democrats in the next presidential election. So Republican candidates like Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence should maybe think twice before they keep boasting about just how anti-abortion they are, and

spouting all the ways they already have and plan to continue preventing women from accessing them. Because it ain't playing as well as they think it is. People like their freedom. People like to make decisions about their own bodies. But I think that's the only way to get playback of our exclusive member only shows and specials right after they air.