Expose Fake Clinics is planning their second week of action, from Oct. 23rd-28th to hinder the work of Pregnancy Resource Centers across the nation. Time and again, we know the most appropriate response is to be authentic about our work and demonstrate the truth of who we are and what we do to help women.
Expose Fake Clinics is an explicit campaign by the Lady Parts Justice League and Abortion Access Hackathon, in partnership with NARAL and others to smear the reputation of Pregnancy Resource Centers across the nation. They have compiled a large list of centers from around the country, including our Pregnancy Resource Centers in Portland to target for smear campaigns.
Their August campaign resulted in a few protests around the country at a small number of PRC’s. But for us, it produced some negative reviews on our Google business pages. Since many women who are facing unplanned pregnancy go online looking for help, this can hurt us in search results.
While reviews left for us by real clients are overwhelmingly positive and point to the compassionate care we offer, the ones left by #ExposeFakeClinics participants all have 1 star and read like this:
“This organization has only one purpose: prevent women from seeking abortions. This is not a medical facility and does not employ medical professionals.”
We respond to them clearly and directly:
“Our pregnancy centers exist to provide a safe, judgment-free environment for women facing an unintended pregnancy to receive vital resources. All our medical services are provided by Registered Nurses and we operate under the license of an MD. For more accurate information regarding our services, we invite you to visit any of our centers in person, or call, and ask any questions you might have.”
We do not have any ability to remove fake reviews ourselves, but with enough people reporting them, it is more likely that Google will take action to remove them.
We are asking you to do just 3 things that can help us keep our reputation online intact so women are not deceived about who we are and what we do
These steps will take you a little bit of time, but, undoubtedly, people who are a part of this campaign are putting a great deal of energy into their effort, too.
- Report fake reviews to google.
Visit our center’s Google business pages each day of the campaign, and especially once it has ended, to check for fake reviews. To do this, search for each of our centers on Google:
- SE Portland Pregnancy Resource Centers
- Gresham Pregnancy Resource Centers
- Beaverton Pregnancy Resource Centers
- Clackamas Pregnancy Resource Centers
The business page should show up and looks something like this (with variations depending on how you view it).
Click on the reviews, hover over the fake ones, and click the flag to report it to Google.
You will be taken to a page which gives you the option to report it to Google by providing your email. Under the options for why you are reporting it, choose, “This post contains conflicts of interest.”
With enough people reporting these fake reviews, we may be able to get Google to remove them, as they very clearly have conflicts of interest and are deceptive.
- Write a positive review if you have been a client in one of our pregnancy centers, or encourage someone you know who has benefitted from our PRC services to leave a review.
We know there are a number of you who have been a PRC client of ours in the past and had a positive experience. If that’s you, please leave a review on the Google page of the center you received services at. Our real clients have overwhelmingly positive experiences with us, and we want to make sure the world knows that too!
- Spread the Word! Share the hashtag #ExposeFakeReviews, download the graphic, and share this blog post #ExposeFakeReviews on your social media page.
Thank you so much for helping us to #ExposeFakeReviews. We are hopeful. This is not the first time that concerted efforts have been made to destroy the work we’re doing, and it certainly won’t be the last. Over and over again we have found that the best response is to graciously and transparently demonstrate the work we’re doing. We have absolutely nothing to hide.
-Larry Gadbaugh, CEO
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