What are Crisis Pregnancy Centers?

Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) are organizations that seek to discourage individuals with unplanned pregnancies from accessing abortion care. These centers use misleading and deceptive practices to manipulate people who are seeking abortion care. They often falsely advertise comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including abortion care and mental health support for individuals facing unplanned pregnancies. However, many of the centers do not provide these medical cares and instead use tactics such as emotional manipulation and misinformation to dissuade individuals from seeking abortion care. 

As of recent data, there are more Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) than actual abortion clinics in the United States.

• Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs): There are currently an estimate of 2,500 to 4,000 CPCs across the United States, many of which operate without medical licensing. This number has only been increasing and is especially prevalent in states where abortion access is more restricted.
• Abortion Clinics: There are currently fewer than 900 clinics around the United States that provide abortion services. This number has been declining due to the recent legislative restrictions against abortion.
  
  

Why is this harmful?

CPCs target vulnerable individuals who are facing emotional distress or financial issues due to unplanned pregnancies. These individuals are more prone to emotional manipulation, which CPCs exploit their vulnerability by pushing an anti-abortion agenda. 

Some tactics CPCs use include providing misleading information about abortion and reproductive health that is not supported by scientific research (e.g., falsely claiming that abortions can cause breast cancer or infertility). Other tactics include religious shaming and promoting abstinence until marriage in the name of evangelism, which may not align with the individual's personal beliefs.

Not only is this harmful for the individuals, but it also undermines their trust in medical professionals. CPCs falsely represent themselves as legitimate healthcare providers, making it more difficult for individuals to trust actual medical professionals and access the health care options that they need. 

Our demands:

• The closure of all CPCs that engage in misleading and deceptive practices.
• Stricter regulations and oversight of facilities offering reproductive healthcare to prevent harmful practices. This ensures that each clinic provides research-based information about reproductive health to its patients.
• Implementing laws to mandate facilities to clearly disclose the exact clinical practices they offer as well as whether they are licensed prior to treatment to prevent deception.
• Increased funding for legitimate licensed facilities that offer medically accurate reproductive care.

It is essential that individuals seeking reproductive care are treated with respect and have access to accurate and unbiased information so they can make the best decision for their own health. Sign this petition to protect reproductive rights and call for an end to Crisis Pregnancy Centers.