End Abortion Stigma held a pop-up demonstration at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14 on Green Street outside of Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care to protest against crisis pregnancy centers. About 15 Ithaca College students and members of EAS held signs on the street corner in favor of the right to an abortion as the sound of passing car horns filled the street in support.
Crisis pregnancy centers — also known as fake pregnancy centers or fake abortion clinics — provide pro-life pregnancy messaging while presenting as reproductive health care clinics providing services for pregnant people. These centers spread misinformation, and since they are technically nonmedical facilities, the staff are not legally subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or client confidentiality laws. The City of Ithaca has two crisis pregnancy centers: Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care and Birthright of Ithaca.
Sophomore Bella Phelps, an intern at EAS, said the demonstration was held in alignment with the Reproductive Rights Film Festival. While not directly associated, the festival shares similar messaging of wanting to increase access to abortions.
“The thing that irked me was that these [fake pregnancy] centers do not have to keep your information private, and they can share it without you knowing,” Phelps said. “A lot of them promise parenting support services … free diapers, free ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, but they deliver pressure to continue pregnancy without info on all options, false info about abortion and religious bias that stigmatizes sex outside of marriage.”
The Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care website states, “Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care offers free counseling regarding your decisions but does not refer for or perform abortions.” Birthright of Ithaca’s website does not use the word “abortion” but lists its services to include only referrals, information, pregnancy tests and baby or maternity items.
During the demonstration, Myra Kovary, EAS member and mentor, wrote “Warning: Religion practiced here, not medicine,” in chalk on the sidewalk outside of Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care. Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for comment in time for publication. Kovary said she remembers the time before Roe v. Wade gave people the constitutional right to an abortion in 1973.
“I realized that the most important thing we can do is organize and get young women involved because most of [the EAS members] are old,” Kovary said. “We have had experiences, either ourselves or our friends and family, pre-Roe, so we know how bad things were and it is getting that way again.”
Phelps hosted a poster-making gathering in preparation for the demonstration Sept. 10 in Friends Hall. Sophomore Paige Currier, an intern at EAS, said she and about 10 other IC students made signs about reproductive rights and anti-abortion centers.
“We’re not [demonstrating] to promote the center or give it attention,” Currier said. “We want people to know that these places are dangerous and that they are spreading misinformation. … I think it’s crazy that there are still so many of these centers, and that they’re just allowed to be here and no one really knows about them.”
Phelps and Currier are part of the EAS Generation Action Group, which is part of EAS’s initiative to create another generation of activist leaders. Currier said she did not expect to get involved in the activist space, but her first EAS event made her interested in volunteering and then interning.
“I feel that it is completely unfair that all these choices are being made about my future, and I don’t get to have a say in it,” Currier said. “I was completely inspired by the amount of activism I’ve seen here in Ithaca, and the only way that we can make changes is if we all come together and understand that all of us are angry and we all want change.”
Phelps said she chose to demonstrate in person because it helps people who may not attend an EAS event learn more about fake pregnancy centers just by driving by.
“We got a lot of inspiration from the events that have been happening this year, like the No Kings protests,” Phelps said. “We saw how many people showed up for that, and we were like, ‘Hey, we should do the same thing.’’’
On June 14, No Kings Day protests were held across the U.S. in opposition to President Donald Trump. The day became one of the largest days of action in U.S. history, with over 5 million people participating nationwide.
Kovary said she wants to make the voices of EAS heard and ultimately expose the realities of the clinics to prevent deception. Additionally, she said she enjoys helping to motivate the youth and find ways for them to get involved.
“I’m thrilled that young people are finding a way to be actively involved,” Kovary said. “I just love them. I love working with them. The enthusiasm, the creativity, the passion. It just warms my heart.”
Rhonda Mapes • Oct 6, 2025 at 4:55 pm
Rebuttal to this quote from the Ithacan on 9/15/2025
“The Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care website states, “Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care offers free counseling regarding your decisions but does not refer for or perform abortions.” Birthright of Ithaca’s website does not use the word “abortion” but lists its services to include only referrals, information, pregnancy tests and baby or maternity items.”
How much more truthful can you get??? No one is claiming to be a medical facility! They do offer physician supervised ultrasound if a woman wants one.
These pregnancy care centers are not giving out any false information or claiming anything they aren’t. They are exactly who they claim to be. Listening to women, showing them what is inside their womb and offering parenting information and material support to those who want to carry and adoption referrals to those who want to place. Most women in NY state can easily find an abortion provider on their own. Furthermore, it’s a free choice: any woman can choose to go to a pregnancy help center or not.
Megan Sweeney • Sep 19, 2025 at 5:27 pm
What misinformation are they spreading? That if you have an unexpected pregnancy you don’t have to face it alone or be ashamed? If you decide to get an abortion, they offer postabortion care to help you process the end of the pregnancy. It’s not an easy decision, and they understand that. If they truly did not care for the welfare of the women why then would they offer that service? If they were just trying to push their own agenda it wouldn’t make sense to care for the women after the abortion. There are facts missing about what the heart of these pregnancy centers truly are. This article is the one spreading misinformation, not these pregnancy centers. There is no profit for these pregnancy centers. They offer so many free resources to women in need.
Unlike the big abortion clinics. When money is involved can we truly trust the abortion provider wants you to be sure of your decision and not rush you into making them hundreds of dollars after a 20 minute procedure?
Myra Kovary • Sep 25, 2025 at 8:56 pm
Check out their parent organization care-net.org and you will see their true agenda. Finger Lakes Pregnancy Care Center is part of a pro-life ministry intent on proselytizing and preventing abortion, not on providing objective medical information to pregnant women. Additionally, there are no HIPAA laws in place to protect the women they dupe into sharing medical information. Buyer beware!
Myra Kovary • Sep 26, 2025 at 8:23 pm
If you check out the website of their parent organization at care-net.org, you will see very clearly what their mission is. They clearly state that they are a pro-life ministry. Their mission is proselytizing and preventing abortions. They do not provide medical services nor do they provide trustworthy information about pregnancy nor about reproductive health care. Additionally, there are no HIPAA regulations that protect the privacy of the medical information they may obtain from the women who are duped by their advertising. Buyer beware!