As you drive down the highway, you will probably see a sign that reads something like this: “Pregnant? Scared? Call us.” Like I have, you may scoff, wondering who this sign is even talking to, or you may just ignore it. But somewhere, perhaps down the road, perhaps across the country, someone makes the call. She may be a young teenager, unsure if she can handle a baby on top of her school and extracurriculars. She may be a young woman trying to work her way out of poverty. She may be a rape survivor, afraid to give birth to a constant reminder of the pain she faced.
These advertisements come from Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). Known by several other names, including (but not limited to) Pregnancy Resource Centers, Pregnancy Support Centers, and Pregnancy Choice Centers, they search for women contemplating what may prove to be one of the most difficult decisions of their lives: having an abortion. While seemingly neutral, a quick look into these centers reveals a divergent reality, one where vulnerable women are coerced into keeping their baby or giving it up for adoption.
Oftentimes, these centers present themselves as health centers. Their employees wear lab coats and parade medical equipment, and they are located near, beside, or even in front of clinics that offer abortions. They offer interested women pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, counseling, and even items to take care of their baby (like diapers, clothes, and parenting classes). While these centers appear to be medically-sound, the workers provide fraudulent and hazardous information: sometimes, women are told abortions can be performed up to their delivery-date, which effectively prevents women from having abortions; they even go so far as to say aborted fetal limbs can become dislodged in the organs of pregnant women, killing them (LastWeekTonight).
How do Crisis Pregnancy Centers Relate to Ethical Living?
Crisis Pregnancy Centers are entirely unethical: (1) they “strive to appear as sites offering clinical services and unbiased advice . . . have names and logos similar to nearby abortion clinics . . . [and] target women who are most likely to seek an abortion, particularly low-income women and women of color” (Bryant). Furthermore, in spite of their appearance of legitimacy, “most CPCs are not licensed and their staff are not licensed medical professions” and thus are not legally bound by privacy provisions nor laws about medical accuracy (Bryant).
While women’s health clinics like Planned Parenthood fight to exist, Crisis Pregnancy Centers are continuing to multiply, with “an estimated 2,300 to 3,500 CPCs currently operating in the US . . . ,[compared to] only 1,800 abortion clinics” (Stacey). While Missouri has only 1 abortion clinic, it has 69 CPCs. Furthermore, these organizations, which are “typically associated with Christian charities,” are tax exempt. Even more frightening, we are paying for these centers as taxpayers. Our home state of Pennsylvania was one of seven states to give “$30 million in federal welfare dollars over four years to these organizations . . . [which] provide flimsy justifications (or none at all) for their use of federal money” (Shakouri).
This is an issue hold very near to my heart. Attending Catholic school, we often would have drives to collect materials to support these businesses. While I believe that everyone should be able to express their beliefs regarding abortion it should not be masked in a facade of aid to women in crisis.
I had no idea that CPCs were outside of medical laws! There must be some legislation in the works to address the fraudulent nature of these terrible facilities. Medical fraud is absolutely unacceptable and must be addressed to provide women with the appropriate information and treatment.
The fact that CPCs are not under medical laws is quite fascinating and definitely something I did not know before. I think that this issue is very controversial and I think your analysis of this issue was insightful.
It is pretty wild that these organisations function outside of medical law and simultaneously receive federal funding.
I think that it is absolutely sick to take advantage of vulnerable and possibly scared people that are seeking help. I thought that these centers were trustworthy places for women to relieve aid and support, but after reading your post I am quite appalled. If people want to express their anti-abortion beliefs they should do so directly, rather than lying, misinforming, and faking an appearance as a pregnancy resource center.