Some people will believe anything

A number of pro-choice bloggers have linked to and shared this story from Planned Parenthood which claims that a 17-year-old girl in Indiana was lured into a crisis pregnancy center, deceived and then harassed by prolifers who were seemingly associated with the CPC in question.

What I find so sad is that these bloggers simply take Planned Parenthood at their word. Amanda from Pandagon seems to have done the most research by contacting an Indiana Planned Parenthood employee who was unable to provide any actual details but confirmed the story was true. I know - that's some tough, hard-nosed reporting. Go to the source of the information and ask if they're telling the truth. "So you didn't just make up a story? Great. Thanks." Interview over.

I wonder if Amanda even knows which city this supposed incident took place at. If so then maybe she could have taken the time to get a response from the prolife side to see what they had to say.

Unfortunately, no pro-choice blogger that I've seen has taken this story with a grain of salt. They've all taken Planned Parenthood's word even though the story has virtually no solid details. The name and location of the CPC isn't given. No witnesses are given to corroborate the story. No police report. Just the word of Planned Parenthood. "But I read it on the internet so it's gotta be true!"

Now maybe Planned Parenthood isn't making up the story. What if Planned Parenthood was told this story by a client or supporter of theirs? One would hope they'd investigate this story to make sure it was 100% true before e-mailing it to their supporters, no? One would hope they'd contact the CPC in question to get the CPC's side of the story and to see if the story had an basis in fact, right?

I'm with Serge on this one. The fact that this story is being publicized at a time that eerily corresponds with the lobbying efforts on behalf of a pro-choice bill to regulate CPCs makes me wonder if something (such as the whole truth) is not being told.

I would hope that prolifers would also take certain claims with a grain of salt. In the same way that every story shared by pro-choicers isn't the whole truth, we should all be aware that every story shared amongst prolifers might not be 100% true and should avoid treating stories as true unless we have some kind of evidence to back them up.

Related: Those deceptive pregnancy centers