Milwaukee, WI — A Milwaukee woman has filed a lawsuit against a Wisconsin crisis pregnancy center that could be the first such case in Wisconsin, according to leading organizations on both sides of the abortion debate.
Neka Washington of Milwaukee alleges that she suffered emotional and physical injuries after visiting the Pregnancy Help Center of Milwaukee. She met with center employee Mary Gilpin on June 15, 2000, the suit says.
Gilpin showed Washington videotapes that “graphically depicted dead and disfigured babies, abortions and babies' parts”; gave her a brochure that showed a dismembered aborted fetus; and told her she had “the devil inside her” and was a “sinner,” according to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court lawsuit, which was filed last week.
Gilpin also scratched Washington's chest, pulled her hair and held down her arms, the lawsuit claims.
Gilpin, a Brookfield resident, said she was instructed by an attorney not to comment. She referred calls to another center employee, who could not be reached.
Lisa Boyce, a vice president and spokeswoman of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, and Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, both said they had not heard of such a suit having been filed in Wisconsin.
Boyce said she was glad the suit was filed because it will raise public awareness about such pregnancy centers, which she alleges are mere fronts for pro-abstinence and pro-life organizations. Pro-abortion organizations such as NARAL have launched campaigns across the country to discredit pregnancy centers and discourage women from going to such places for pregnancy assistance.
“For a woman, it can be pretty emotionally destructive when you're going in there in a vulnerable state seeking good information and end up getting something you completely weren't expecting,” she claimed.
The Pregnancy Help Center, which has three offices in Milwaukee, advertises free pregnancy testing and free counseling in its Yellow Pages ad. A Web site that lists the Milwaukee centers among other pregnancy centers says the centers also typically offer “abortion and adoption information,” temporary shelter and other services.
Lyons, the president of Wisconsin Right to Life, said the main goal of the pregnancy centers is to offer “practical assistance” to pregnant women seeking help.
That assistance typically includes prenatal care, housing assistance, referrals to social service agencies and counseling, Lyons said. The centers do not provide referrals for abortion, but what information they give on abortion and how it is presented varies from center to center, she said.
Washington's lawyer, Eric Cormany of Milwaukee, said neither he nor his client would comment.
The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Timothy Dugan. No court date has been set.
For more information on this news article, see the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online
(This article courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)
