COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Facebook post proclaims – Ohio Planned Parenthoods stop all abortions. It appears on the page of anti-abortion group Created Equal.
The post also includes what appears to be a screen grab from the appointment portal of the Planned Parenthood North Columbus Health Center. A message is included, saying, “We are not currently providing abortions at OH health centers.”
On Thursday morning, 10TV received an email from Created Equal reinforcing that message.
But when 10TV reached out to Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, it was learned that information was not correct.
“There was a technical glitch on our system that was not generated from our state providers,” said Lauren Blauvelt-Copelin, vice president of government affairs and public advocacy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio. “So we have rectified the situation, and we are very sorry for our patients who received a wrong message through our online system.”
And Blauvelt-Copelin emphasized that the Planned Parenthood doors are, in fact, open and that Ohioans can still get an abortion up to six weeks of pregnancy without the detection of fetal heart tones.
10TV reached out to Created Equal to see if the social media post would be adjusted to reflect this information.
But Mark Harrington, the president of the organization, questioned whether a glitch actually led to the problem, implying that Planned Parenthood had changed policy without offering any evidence of this claim.
10TV offered Harrington an interview multiple times to get more information, but that offer was declined.
Blauvelt-Copelin said she wished opposition groups were not “so committed to misinformation” and misguiding Ohio patients.
“There has been a concerted effort for many years in the state of Ohio to confuse people who are seeking abortion care, and unfortunately we have to deal with organizations like Created Equal that spend all of their resources ensuring that, instead of making sure Ohioans get accurate care and access to healthcare, that instead they only get the information coming from their really zealot personal views,” she said.
While Blauvelt-Copelin said the website issues should no longer be a problem, any patients with questions can call directly at 800-230-7526.