Crisis pregnancy centers, or pregnancy resource centers, disguise themselves as medical facilities, but usually have no licensed doctors, nurses or counselors. They often appear under “Abortion Alternatives,” and may have names similar to abortion clinics nearby in order to confuse patients into entering their buildings instead of the real clinics. Crisis pregnancy centers greatly outnumber abortion clinics in the United States, and the poorer the area, the more centers (and fewer clinics) there are likely to be.
Once you enter a CPC, their mission is to prevent you from getting an abortion at any cost. They will use misleading language, delay tactics, emotional blackmail, intimidation, and outright lies to either persuade you against abortion or to make you miss your appointment. The worst part? It’s all completely legal and funded by federal dollars.
CPCs do their best to appear as legitimate abortion clinics, so how can you tell which is which? Here is a list of red flags for CPCs:
- The words “crisis” or “resource” appear in the center’s name
- Their ads use language like “Pregnant & Scared?”
- They offer free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds (Note: The people providing the ultrasounds usually have no idea what they’re doing.)
- When asked if they provide abortions or contraception, they will not give a direct answer
- The waiting room has biased pamphlets, sometimes with graphic pictures labeled as abortions
- They attempt to make you feel guilty about considering abortion
- They offer baby items, such as diapers and formula
- They downplay the effectiveness of contraception and emphasize abstinence
- They overstate the dangers of abortion (Fact: Fewer than 0.3% of patients experience complications requiring hospitalization)
- They discuss the false connections between abortion and breast cancer, infertility, or mental illness, often referred to as post-abortion stress syndrome.
- Regardless of how you talk about your pregnancy, they refer to “your baby,” the “preborn child,” “post-abortive women,” and say that you are “already a mother.”
Here’s a video showing what goes on inside these centers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTYZdV0yJ68
- What’s So Bad About Crisis Pregnancy Centers?
- NARAL – How to Identify CPCs
- Cedar River Clinics – Beware of Fake Clinics
- NAF – Crisis Pregnancy Centers: An Affront to Choice
- CPC Warning Stickers – slap ’em on any ads or signs you see advertising these centers (note: the editor does not endorse vandalism or destruction of property of any kind, etc. etc.)
A list of licensed abortion clinics in the United States can be found on the Abortion Assistance Blog.
Original post: Bébinn / Image: Indymedia Ireland
