VOTERS ARE BY now accustomed to automated political-campaign calls, but many were stunned by one that hit households in Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia over the weekend.

The recorded voice was that of a distraught, tearful woman.

"I had an abortion performed on me," the woman said in a shaky voice, adding that she wanted to tell "the truth about Allyson Schwartz."

"The truth is that 18 lawsuits have been filed against Miss Allyson Schwartz's clinic, including assault, battery, negligence, perforated bowels and uteruses," the woman said, "and even abortions performed without consent of her patients."

The woman finished by asking voters to "think about her patients before you cast the ballot."

The call was paid for by Republican congressional candidate Raj Peter Bhakta, who is running against U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

A casual listener might think that Schwartz is a physician and that the anonymous woman had an abortion against her will.

Schwartz isn't a physician, but 18 years ago she was director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Clinic, which Schwartz co-founded in 1975 and which performed abortions and other services.

Who exactly is the woman in the call? Bhakta described her as "a woman who came into the campaign who wanted the truth to be known."

Bhakta said he wouldn't reveal her identity, and wouldn't say whether she'd ever been treated at the Blackwell clinic.