Tuesday 4 November 2014

Lambton CPC: Nuthin' to Hide?

Recently, DJ! nosed around and found that some crisis pregnancy centres in Canada do indeed have ultrasound machines believed by fetus fetishists to have the magical property of dissolving women's will for autonomy.

Which is odd, considering that they claim NOT to be medical facilities, but, just, you know, counselling and information centres with sidelines in mom-n-tots drop-ins and baby clothes.

In fact, in Ontario, the Ministry of Health does not fund these fake clinics or regulate them specifically because they are not medical clinics.

What to make then of this promotional video from the Lambton Crisis Pregnancy Centre, the fake clinic that recently received $83,800 of public funds from the Ontario Trillium Foundation?

The video shows many jolly babies, new mums thrilled to have a place to drop in and chat, some jeezus talk, but at about the 4:30 mark it gets interesting.

During a tour of the facilities, we are shown one of their "counselling rooms." Here's a still.


What's that chair-like thing that appears fleetingly in the background?

It looks to me like an ob/gyn chair, rather like this, taken from an assortment of such medical equipment here.


I wanted to be sure so I asked a professional pal to have a look. Here's the judgement:

Well I looked at it frame-by-frame between 4:36 and 4:42 - - the videographer was supposed to avoid the bottom of the chair with the pale blue cushioning.

Shot angles before and after make it clear that they wish to give the impression that they are providing a comprehensive survey of the interior (Nuthin' t'hide, here) when it's pretty clear at 4:36 - 4:37 that they don't want you to see that chair.

What that chair is, specifically, I cannot say - - they have been successful with selective camera angles.  Sorry.

Point, videographer.

Also odd is the woman's comment from that room that clients can "exit out quietly without going through the reception room."

Why would clients want to exit out quietly if they're just having a jolly conversation about prenatal vitamins?

And WHAT THE FUCK is a piece of medical equipment doing in there? Are they conducting obstetrical examinations? Are they performing non-medical ultrasounds?

Enquiring minds....

UPDATE: November 14. 2014. A commenter named Nathan Colquhoun claims to be the videographer in question. He says the video is hosted on his YouTube account, but I didn't see it.

He says the chair-thing is in fact a baby's high-chair. Okey-dokey.

He also takes issue with the tone of this blog. Okey-dokey.

I'll have more to say, but for now have a look at the webpage connected to his profile. He's some kinda Xian pastor. When I tried to go to "The Story," which appears to be the name of his "ministry," my anti-virus software wouldn't let me, and who am I to argue?

17 comments:

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

We had an election down south today. I voted (in Ohio) against the GOP, as usual. I'm afraid to no avail.

The fundie "Jesus hates gays and abortion" crowd combined with the suburban "fuck you, I got mine" crowd, plus the usual excessive cheating tends to win in our midterm elections.
~

fern hill said...

We feel your pain. Canada always does what the US does, usually 10 years later. We're in our Bush years now. Next will come the false saviour who disappoints mightily.

We watch the US in dismay up here, seeing our near future.

But we continue to resist. As one does.

Anonymous said...

The pregnancy care centre in Calgary, (where W5 once went in undercover and exposed them and that also later received a $300,000 grant from HRDC under the Liberals who themselves were caught and embarrassed and stated they'd never do it again), has used doctors from time to time. It is a difficult place for a doctor to practice as they are bound by the College code of ethics which in Alberta states they must provide accurate information and timely access to abortion care if that is what the patient requests. So they either breach the code of ethics or the centre rules that forbid abortion referrals. Unfortunately, most prefer to breach their profession's code of ethics.

fern hill said...

Thanks for that, Anonymous.

Here's the Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre. Its website says nothing about doctors.

NathanColquhoun said...

As the videographer that made this video a really long time ago (and is hosted on my youtube account), there was no selective camera angles and there was no direction to hide anything. The chair is a high chair of sorts meant for babies. So in answer to your question of what the fuck a piece of medical equipment is doing in there.....there is no fucking medical equipment in there.

Great to see your solid investigative journalism techniques by asking your "professional pal" and the wonderfully crafted conclusion all in order to sway your audience to take your side and further distance yourself from any mutually beneficial dialogue.

Listen, I'm all in favour of legitimate truth being revealed and the desire to see women be presented with all their choices. I also fully understand that public funds probably shouldn't be taken on by institutions that don't share the public conscience of such issues. What I think is unfortunate though is that your tactics in shaming these places and people you don't know with false and fabricated stories is worse than the tactics of rebranding and religious charity.

fern hill said...

Nathan: Thank you for your comments. I was wrong about the chair.

But I am not wrong about crisis pregnancy centres. They are evil. They exist to dissuade -- with lies and manipulation -- vulnerable women from accessing a legal medical service.

That's their sole purpose and everything else is bullshit window dressing.

This CPC had the second part of its grant rescinded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, whose anti-discrimination policy it breeches.

I'm curious. How did you find our little blog? Did someone alert you this particular blogpost?

fern hill said...

Last sentence should have read: Did someone alert you *to* this particular blogpost?

[Too lazy to delete and repost.]

NathanColquhoun said...

I do think you should at least put a disclaimer or update at the beginning of this post retracting your accusations.

You do realize that you used lies and manipulation to dissuade vulnerable liberals from joining your charade against these clinics right? Again, I don't mind you doing this investigative journalistic exposure stuff, but you really gotta start taming the harsh opinionated unfounded accusations and go at it a bit more, I don't know, reasonably.

I found out about your blog because I still live in Sarnia and it's 'news' in some circles that I run with.

I cannot and would not speak on behalf of pregnancy centres, but it does seem that Trillium sees their services as "discriminate, or that seek to limit the legal rights and activities of people" which results in their funding being rescinded. Not even saying I disagree with you or them on that, but then again, I don't know the specifics of this organization.

But what is also clear is that your generalizations about these centres are exactly that, generalizations. The Sarnia centre posted a response (http://www.pregnancycentre.org/ontario-trillium-foundation-grant-rescinded/) with a link to a study that I found very interesting.

Lines like this stick out to me

"CPCs offer non-judgmental peer counselling and support. We provide accurate information on
pregnancy, abortion procedures, and alternatives to abortion. We discuss all pregnancy options
– adoption, parenting, and abortion – in a caring, respectful environment"

and

"Currently, there are 117 crisis pregnancy centres in Canada. CPCs are not monolithic. Each centre
is governed by its own local board of directors."

So I'm wondering. Do you know these 117 centres and their staff and their individual values and mission and how they operate? Have you just bought into the hype and rhetoric of opposing someone that is different than you that has made you lose your critical eye? This study does make me think that you would need specific proof that this specific centre does in fact limit people from abortions with their services. According to the quote above, this isn't the case, in fact it seems that it would be the exception that a CPC does this.

My main issue though is that this blog is filled with the kind of drivel that you accuse these centres of topped off with ad hominem, red herring and straw man arguments that put you in a camp of the fundamentalism that you despise. I just don't understand how you can call what they are doing evil without seeing how you fall into the same camp.

fern hill said...

Gee, I'm being taken out to the woodshed by a videographer based in Sarnia, Ontario.

Or, maybe not.

Nathan, from his profile, appears to be some kinda Xian pastor as well.

But, really, you don't need to bother arguing with me. You should address your criticisms to the Ontario Trillium Foundation who RESCINDED the grant. I just asked some questions that OTF clearly found troubling.

I'll have more to say.

NathanColquhoun said...

Fern Hill, I was the videographer from that video not by trade (c'mon, that was a very poorly shot video!). I don't even shoot anymore really, it was more of a favour for some friends back when I was a youngster, my company does video work for clients now though.

Regardless, you are being taken to task. Yup, I am a pastor and business owner and advocate of truth where I can.

I'm not upset that the funding got pulled, like I said, it made sense. I am surprised they got funding in the first place.

I'm upset at your lack of integrity of dealing with a highly sensitive issue around women's rights. That you would stoop to a low level of name calling and hyperbolic accusations to try and prove your point is ridiculous. Using terms like "evil" is a highly charged religious term to manipulate. What you fail to see is your own 'evil' and lies that seems inseparable from your message.

You still have RESCINDED your statement about the chair in this post, which you should do.

NathanColquhoun said...

Sorry, you still have not* rescinded.

NathanColquhoun said...

Sorry, I retract that, I see you put the update at the bottom.

thestory.ca is the church website.

And I don't have an issue with your tone. I have an issue with your tactics.

fern hill said...

I've been blogging on this subject (and others) for more than seven years. And the tactics the xian pastor doesn't like have resulted in my breaking a couple of stories the media then picked up.

I'm done with your tsk-tsking, Nathan. Take it to your church.

fern hill said...

There was another patronizing remark from the xian pastor who was surprised that I'm done with him.

Really, Nathan. I've been around this block a few thousand times and, surprise!, you do not have anything new to contribute.

Buh-bye.

NathanColquhoun said...

I wrote about this on my blog.

http://www.nathancolquhoun.com/2014/11/15/pregnancy-centres-dammit-janet-and-how-i-ended-up-in-the-middle

NathanColquhoun said...

I'll fix whatever errors are there, let me know where they are.

And let me know if you'd ever be up for grabbing a coffee sometime and chatting more. I'd be interested to meet you and speak in person more about some of these issues, as I said, you'd have a lot to teach me on it. Shoot me an e-mail if you are ever interested.

Peace.

fern hill said...

Nathan: I'm not interested. But I'm letting your comment through to let others see.

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