TO THE EDITOR:
Monday’s letter (“Previous letter unfairly generalized centers”), suggests that the way to respond to the deceptive ads from crisis pregnancy centers is to include an ad from a center that offers comprehensive reproductive health care (e.g., Planned Parenthood) in the Tar Heel Beginnings student planner.
Adding Planned Parenthood misses the point: The University should not accept advertising from organizations that mislead and misinform women.
The deception among crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) is well-established.
A 2011 study published by NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina Foundation found that CPCs across the state routinely give women medically inaccurate information about sexual and reproductive health and do not provide referrals for abortion or contraceptives, even as their ads claim that they help all women with unexpected pregnancies.
Including ads in the student planner from CPCs as well as comprehensive women’s health clinics is offering women at UNC a choice between deception and non-deception.
It is incumbent upon the University to ensure that the planner — which goes out to thousands of students every year — will not contain any advertising that is misleading.
This is crucial when an ad is not about a trivial matter or purchase, but a decision that will have consequences for the rest of the pregnant woman’s life.
Ryan Jones ’09
Chapel Hill, N.C.
