Death, cancer, mental health issues and a boyfriend who “experiences homosexuality” – these are all possible consequences of an abortion, according to training materials produced by a US religious right group, Heartbeat International, that funds and produces trainings for anti-abortion activists across the world.
I know this because I recently enrolled in two of Heartbeat’s online courses as part of openDemocracy’s special investigation into misinformation targeting pregnant women around the world through ‘crisis pregnancy centres’ that are affiliated with the US group. It was a disturbing and often distressing assignment.
These centres aim to reach women considering abortions, and stop them from making that choice. It’s not known whether staff at the specific centres investigated by openDemocracy have taken Heartbeat courses, but they have been advertised to its affiliates which exist around the world and which get discounts on most of them.
