:en:Crisis pregnancy center

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Catholic carpenter Robert Pearson started the first CPC in Honolulu in 1967 after abortion was legalized in Hawaii. Pearson said that "a woman who wanted to terminate her pregnancy 'has no right to information that will help her kill her baby.'"{{Cite journal|last=Morrison|first=Jill|date=2019|title=Resuscitating the Black Body: Reproductive Justice as Resistance to the State's Property Interest in Black Women's Reproductive Capacity|journal=Yale Journal of Law and Feminism|volume=31|pages=35–56 |url=https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/yjfem31§ion=6}} He formed the Pearson Foundation to help others start their own CPCs, offering detailed instructions for CPC management along with propaganda brochures and images to persuade pregnant women not to get an abortion.{{cite journal |last=Eisenberg |first=Rebecca |authorlink=Rebecca Eisenberg |title=Beyond Bray: Obtaining Federal Jurisdiction to Stop Anti-Abortion Violence |date=1994 |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/yjfem6&div=10&id=&page= |journal=Yale Journal of Law and Feminism |pages=167–170 |volume=6 |number=1 |access-date=2022-09-23 |archive-date=2022-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921021715/https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/yjfem6&div=10&id=&page= |url-status=live }} Originally written in late 1992 for Harvard Law School.{{cite magazine |last=Griswold |first=Eliza |date=November 11, 2019 |title=The New Front Line of the Anti-Abortion Movement |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/18/the-new-front-line-of-the-anti-abortion-movement |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923213117/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/18/the-new-front-line-of-the-anti-abortion-movement |url-status=live }} In 1968, the first network of centers was established by Birthright, in Canada. Alternatives to Abortion, today known as Heartbeat International, was founded in 1971. Christian Action Council founded its first center in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1980. Christian Action Council eventually would become Care Net.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110804011031/http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=BL09H01 "A Passion to Serve: A Vision for Life" – Pregnancy Resource Center Service Report 2009] Family Research Council. 2009. Page 6. Retrieved May 5, 2011 The CPC movement began as American Catholic activism, but after the 1973 passage of Roe v. Wade, interest in establishing CPCs widened to include American evangelical Christians.

To fulfill their mission of persuading pregnant women to forgo abortions, CPCs advertise and offer pregnancy support services. Among the more common ones are free pregnancy tests, prenatal care, screening for sexually transmitted infections, and adoption referrals. Some offer counseling, including religious counseling and post-abortion counseling. Some supply material support: clothing, maternity housing, food, financial support, and other supplies. Some offer training in such topics as budgeting, resume building, and child-rearing.{{Cite web |last=Institute |first=Charlotte Lozier |date=2021-07-19 |title=Fact Sheet: Pregnancy Centers – Serving Women and Saving Lives (2020 Study) |url=https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-pregnancy-centers-serving-women-and-saving-lives-2020/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=Lozier Institute |language=en-US}}{{cite web |date=2011-02-04 |title=Arkansas Right To Life – Abortion Alternatives Adoption Help Pregnancy Centers |url=http://www.artl.org/alternatives.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725014706/http://www.artl.org/alternatives.html |archive-date=2011-07-25 |access-date=2011-03-18 |publisher=Artl.org}}{{cite news |author=Banerjee, Neela |date=2 February 2005 |title=Church Groups Turn to Sonogram to Turn Women From Abortions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/national/02pregnant.html? |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616042338/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/national/02pregnant.html |archive-date=16 June 2013 |access-date=18 August 2013 |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite web |title=Guiding Star Ministries |url=https://www.guidingstar.org/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=Guiding Star Ministries}} An increasing number of CPCs obtain some form of medical certification to be able to expand their abilities and marketing; for example, permission to perform sonograms in an attempt to convince women to carry their pregnancies to term.{{Cite news |last=Banerjee |first=Neela |date=2005-02-02 |title=Church Groups Turn to Sonogram to Turn Women From Abortions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/us/church-groups-turn-to-sonogram-to-turn-women-from-abortions.html |access-date=2024-05-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In some jurisdictions, such the State of Louisiana, CPCs are considered safe-haven zones where parents may surrender custody of newborn infants.{{cite web |title=Boy given up in LC's first Safe Haven case (3/12): Headline News |url=http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=5165 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707133108/http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=5165 |archive-date=2011-07-07 |access-date=2011-03-18 |publisher=Americanpress.com}}{{better source needed|date=May 2024}} In 2020, one Texas chain of CPCs began providing contraceptives to unmarried women, stating that they wanted to help reduce unplanned pregnancies.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-15 |title=Christian pregnancy centers to offer women contraceptives |url=https://apnews.com/article/e8640b10a242493e90a258a8cbe9cfee |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=AP News |language=en}}

CPCs have been widely criticized by supporters of abortion rights for providing misleading and/or graphic information or content to patients to dissuade them from obtaining abortions.{{cite news |author=Kaufman, Marc |date=18 July 2006 |title=Pregnancy Centers Found to Give False Information on Abortion |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071701145.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801004231/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071701145.html |archive-date=1 August 2013 |access-date=18 August 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite news |author=Silverman, Julia |date=9 May 2007 |title=States React to Crisis Pregnancy Centers |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050900291.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107120035/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050900291.html |archive-date=7 November 2012 |access-date=18 August 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Their advertising campaigns have been criticized as being carefully designed to reach groups they perceive as being more inclined towards seeking abortion, such as young women, women of color, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Often, they place billboards near educational institutions and utilize public transportation and bus shelters for promotion.American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. n.d. “Issue Brief: Crisis Pregnancy Centers.” Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.acog.org/advocacy/abortion-is-essential/trending-issues/issue-brief-crisis-pregnancy-centers. For example, Care Net's "Urban Initiative" specifically aims to attract Black and Latina women by advertising on platforms like the Black Entertainment Network (BET) and drawing parallels between abortion and historical instances of oppression, such as slavery.{{Cite journal |last1=Montoya |first1=Melissa N. |last2=Judge-Golden |first2=Colleen |last3=Swartz |first3=Jonas J. |date=2022 |title=The Problems with Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Reviewing the Literature and Identifying New Directions for Future Research |journal=International Journal of Women's Health |language=English |volume=14 |pages=757–763 |doi=10.2147/IJWH.S288861 |doi-access=free |pmc=9189146 |pmid=35706995}} The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, an independent abortion-providing agency,{{cite web |title=Abortion Services, Pregnancy Advice, Counselling and Contraception – BPAS |url=https://www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128112026/https://www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/ |archive-date=2019-01-28 |access-date=2016-08-01 |website=www.bpas.org}} warned about the lack of regulation on CPCs by the National Health Service in that young women were dissuaded from abortion without full knowledge of their legal options or the consultation of their family GP.{{Cite news |last=Lydall |first=Ross |date=February 11, 2014 |title=Clinics "tell women that abortions cause cancer" |work=London Evening Standard |page=10}} CPCs have focused on what they call "underserved" communities in an attempt to lower the high rates of abortion in communities of color.{{Cite journal |last=Morrison |first=Jill |date=2019 |title=Resuscitating the Black Body: Reproductive Justice as Resistance to the State's Property Interest in Black Women's Reproductive Capacity |url=https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/yjfem31§ion=6 |journal=Yale Journal of Law and Feminism |volume=31 |pages=35–56}}

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Some CPCs conduct free sonograms as a way to dissuade women from abortion.[https://web.archive.org/web/20190510195119/https://www.dispatch.com/article/20080120/news/301209705 The Columbus Dispatch] January 20, 2008, "Pregnancy centers stir debate"{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/national/02pregnant.html? | title=Church Groups Turn to Sonogram to Turn Women From Abortions | work=The New York Times | date=2 February 2005 | access-date=18 August 2013 | author=Banerjee, Neela | archive-date=16 June 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616042338/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/national/02pregnant.html | url-status=live }} Proponents say that women who visit CPCs and see their embryos or fetuses through the use of ultrasound technology tend to decide against abortion, although scientific research suggests mandatory pre-abortion ultrasound has no effect on women's decisions to continue their pregnancy.{{Cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=Sarah C. M.|last2=Kimport|first2=Katrina|last3=Kriz|first3=Rebecca|last4=Holl|first4=Jennifer|last5=Mark|first5=Katrina|last6=Williams|first6=Valerie|date=2019-12-01|title=Consideration of and Reasons for Not Obtaining Abortion Among Women Entering Prenatal Care in Southern Louisiana and Baltimore, Maryland|journal=Sexuality Research and Social Policy|language=en|volume=16|issue=4|pages=476–487|doi=10.1007/s13178-018-0359-4|issn=1553-6610|doi-access=free}}

Organizations such as Colorado-based Focus on the Family and the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, have worked to equip more CPCs with ultrasound machines.[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/23436.php Focus on the Family Budgets $4.2M To Provide Ultrasound Equipment to Pregnancy Centers With Goal of Preventing Abortions] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004184940/http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/23436.php |date=October 4, 2008 }}[https://web.archive.org/web/20111003144938/http://www.heartlink.org/OUP/A000000422.cfm Focus Celebrates Option Ultrasound Success], Focus On the Family{{cite web |last=Schutte |first=Shana |title=Home |url=http://psalm139project.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711031648/https://psalm139project.org/ |archive-date=2017-07-11 |access-date=2008-03-03}}

{{See also|Misinformation related to abortion}}

CPCs have frequently been found to disseminate false medical information. In some cases such information may be based on decades-old studies that have been discredited by more recent research. In others, CPCs may falsely claim to be describing an existing scientific consensus. CPCs' false information is usually about the supposed health risks of abortion, saying, for example, that abortion is much less safe for pregnant women than childbirth when the opposite is true. In fact, researchers have found that "the complication rate (of abortions) is less than that associated with wisdom tooth extraction, 7 percent, and tonsillectomies, 9 percent."{{Cite web |url=https://prochoicenc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Landscape-of-CPCs-North-Carolinas-Crisis-Pregnancy-Centers-v10.17.pdf |title=The Landscape of CPCs: North Carolina's Crisis Pregnancy Centers |publisher=NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina Foundation |date=July 2017 |archive-date=2024-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421143242/https://prochoicenc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Landscape-of-CPCs-North-Carolinas-Crisis-Pregnancy-Centers-v10.17.pdf |url-status=live }} The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology characterize the care at these centers as lacking "adherence to medical and ethical practice standards".{{cite journal|url=https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(19)30413-6/fulltext|title=Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the U.S.: Lack of Adherence to Medical and Ethical Practice Standards: A Joint Position Statement of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology|journal=Journal of Adolescent Health|volume=65|issue=6|pages=821–4|date=December 1, 2019|doi=10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.08.008|pmid=31672521|s2cid=207817856|doi-access=free|access-date=September 29, 2022|archive-date=November 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112091815/https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(19)30413-6/fulltext|url-status=live}} A joint statement from the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology said that CPCs "pose risk by failing to adhere to medical and ethical practice standards".{{Cite journal |last=Swartzendruber |first=Andrea |last2=English |first2=Abigail |last3=Greenberg |first3=Katherine Blumoff |last4=Murray |first4=Pamela J. |last5=Freeman |first5=Matt |last6=Upadhya |first6=Krishna |last7=Simpson |first7=Tina |last8=Miller |first8=Elizabeth |last9=Santelli |first9=John |date=2019-12-01 |title=Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the United States: Lack of Adherence to Medical and Ethical Practice Standards; A Joint Position Statement of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1083318819303353 |journal=Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology |language=English |volume=32 |issue=6 |pages=563–566 |doi=10.1016/j.jpag.2019.10.008 |issn=1083-3188 |pmid=31679958}}

For example, CPC staffers commonly assert that the chances of getting breast cancer increase dramatically after abortion,{{Cite news |last=Simon |first=Stephanie |date=February 12, 2007 |title=Abortion foes are getting public funds |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/12/MNGT0O32TB1.DTL&ao=all |work=San Francisco Chronicle}}{{cite web |title=Health Highlights: July 18, 2006 |url=https://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/press-medical-and-health-reporting-news-552/health-highlights-july-18-2006-533868.html |website=HealthDay |access-date=February 27, 2022 |language=en |date=July 18, 2006 |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227164022/https://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/press-medical-and-health-reporting-news-552/health-highlights-july-18-2006-533868.html |url-status=live }} even though major medical bodies (including the National Cancer Institute){{cite web| url=http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/abortion-miscarriage| title=Abortion, Miscarriage, and Breast Cancer Risk |type=Fact Sheet | date=20 February 2003| publisher=National Cancer Institute| access-date=2011-01-11| archive-date=2010-12-21| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221084337/http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/abortion-miscarriage| url-status=live}} say that there is no link between abortion and breast cancer.

Another common assertion is that abortion leads to mental health problems. CPC counselors have warned clients of severely negative psychological consequences, including high rates of depression, "post-abortion syndrome", post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, substance abuse, sexual and relationship dysfunction, propensity to child abuse, and other emotional problems.{{Cite news|url=http://choiceireland.org/sites/default/files/Examiner123.pdf|title=Subverting the right to choose|last=Hough|first=Jennifer|date=October 6, 2008|work=Irish Examiner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925093536/http://choiceireland.org/sites/default/files/Examiner123.pdf|archive-date=September 25, 2015|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news |work=Austin Chronicle |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A392308 |last=Smith |first=Jordan |date=August 4, 2006 |title=Having Your Baby |access-date=November 28, 2010 |archive-date=August 20, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820203337/http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A392308 |url-status=live }}{{Cite episode |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ecV_qVr4FU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/-ecV_qVr4FU |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=2010-12-07 |series=Five News |title=5 news undercover |network=Sky News}}{{cbignore}}{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/10622815/Abortion-scandal-women-told-terminations-increase-chance-of-child-abuse.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210224945/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/10622815/Abortion-scandal-women-told-terminations-increase-chance-of-child-abuse.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 10, 2014 |title= Abortion scandal: women told terminations increase chance of child abuse |date=10 February 2014 |newspaper = Daily Telegraph |access-date=11 February 2014 |location=London}} These "counselors" are often priests or other religious members – not licensed counselors. "Post-abortion syndrome" has not been validated as a discrete psychiatric condition and is not recognized by the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, nor the American Public Health Association.{{cite journal |author =Stotland NL |title=Abortion and psychiatric practice |journal=J Psychiatr Pract |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=139–49 |year=2003 |pmid=15985924 |doi=10.1097/00131746-200303000-00005|s2cid=37575499 }} "Currently, there are active attempts to convince the public and women considering abortion that abortion frequently has negative psychiatric consequences. This assertion is not borne out by the literature: the vast majority of women tolerate abortion without psychiatric sequelae."{{cite journal |author =Stotland NL |title=The myth of the abortion trauma syndrome |journal=JAMA |volume=268 |issue=15 |pages=2078–9 |date=October 1992 |pmid=1404747 |doi= 10.1001/jama.268.15.2078}}{{cite journal|last1=Kelly|first1=Kimberly|title=The spread of 'Post Abortion Syndrome' as social diagnosis|journal=Social Science & Medicine|date=February 2014|volume=102|pages=18–25|doi=10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.11.030|pmid=24565137}}{{cite journal |last1=Casey |first1=PR |title=Abortion among young women and subsequent life outcomes. |journal=Best Practice & Research. Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology |date=August 2010 |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=491–502 |doi=10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2010.02.007 |pmid=20303829|hdl=10197/5799 |s2cid=23052359 |hdl-access=free }}{{cite journal |vauthors=Russo NF, Denious JE |title=Controlling birth: science, politics, and public policy |journal=J Soc Issues |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=181–91 |year=2005 |pmid=17073030 |doi=10.1111/j.0022-4537.2005.00400.x}}{{cite journal|last1= Dadlez|first1= E.M.|last2= Andrews|first2= William L. |title=Post-Abortion Syndrome: Creating an Affliction|journal=Bioethics|date=7 July 2009|volume=24|issue=9|pages=445–452|doi=10.1111/j.1467-8519.2009.01739.x|pmid=19594725|s2cid= 205564834}} The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists finds no evidence to support an increased likelihood of abuse. In fact, CPCs are known to use disturbing visuals to emotionally manipulate pregnant women.{{cite web |title=Crisis Pregnancy Centers |work=Issue Brief |publisher=American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists |url=https://www.acog.org/advocacy/abortion-is-essential/trending-issues/issue-brief-crisis-pregnancy-centers |access-date=2024-04-21 |archive-date=2024-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421143643/https://www.acog.org/advocacy/abortion-is-essential/trending-issues/issue-brief-crisis-pregnancy-centers |url-status=live }}

CPCs may also claim that surgical abortion is a dangerous procedure, with a high risk of perforation or infection and death. In fact, the risk of complications requiring hospitalization after an abortion is about 2 in 1,000 in the US.{{cite journal | journal=Obstet Gynecol | title=Incidence of emergency department visits and complications after abortion. | vauthors=Upadhyay UD, Desai S, Zlidar V, Weitz TA, Grossman D, Anderson P, Taylor D | volume=125 | issue=1 | year=2015 | pages=175–83 | doi=10.1097/AOG.0000000000000603 | pmid=25560122 | s2cid=42219844 | url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/523956jn | doi-access=free | access-date=2019-06-26 | archive-date=2020-01-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129222125/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/523956jn | url-status=live }} These alleged risks are also part of the common assertion that abortion can make future childbearing more difficult or dangerous by increasing the risk of infertility, miscarriages, complications, ectopic pregnancy, or fetal health problems. These claims are not supported by medical data.

CPCs have also been found to disseminate misinformation about birth control methods, in particular the idea that contraception and condoms do not work or have harmful effects.

False information about pregnancy and the female body or about fetal development may also be provided, as may misinformation about the availability of abortion in early pregnancy{{Cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/counsellor-offered-shock-antiabortion-propaganda-132608.html |first=Lara |last=Bradley |title=Counsellor offered shock anti-abortion propaganda |work=The Irish Independent |date=July 16, 2006 |access-date=January 27, 2011 |archive-date=January 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128074128/http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/counsellor-offered-shock-antiabortion-propaganda-132608.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|first=Christine |last=Bohan |url=http://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2007/aug/19/clashes-at-crisis-pregnancy-clinic/ |work=Sunday Tribune |title=Clashes at crisis pregnancy clinic |date=August 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306134559/http://tribune.ie/archive/article/2007/aug/19/clashes-at-crisis-pregnancy-clinic |archive-date=2016-03-06 }} and the rate of postpartum depression among women who carry to term,{{cite conference |url=http://www.chsourcebook.com/articles/waxman2.pdf |title=False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers |last1=Committee on Government Reform—Minority Staff Special Investigations Division |author-link1=United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform |date=July 2006 |publisher=United States House of Representatives |access-date=2011-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504195306/http://www.chsourcebook.com/articles/waxman2.pdf |archive-date=2013-05-04 |url-status=dead }}{{Better source needed|political party document|date=October 2015}} CPCs may also misinform women about their stage of pregnancy in order to prevent them from seeking an abortion until it is no longer legally possible.{{Cite journal |vauthors=Bryant AG, Levi EE |date=December 2012 |title=Abortion misinformation from crisis pregnancy centers in North Carolina |journal=Contraception |volume=86 |issue=6 |pages=752–6 |doi=10.1016/j.contraception.2012.06.001 |pmid=22770790}}{{cite news |last=Beusman |first=Callie |date=31 May 2017 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-anti-abortion-zealots-pose-as-medical-professionals-to-trick-pregnant-women/ |title=How Anti-Abortion Zealots Pose as Medical Professionals to Trick Pregnant Women |department=Broadly |publisher=Vice |access-date=24 April 2018 |archive-date=25 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425114935/https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/pae9ak/how-anti-abortion-zealots-pose-as-medical-professionals-to-trick-pregnant-women |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cpc-report-2015.pdf |title=Crisis Pregnancy Centers Lie |publisher=NARAL Pro-Choice America |access-date=2018-04-24 |archive-date=2018-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312190411/https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cpc-report-2015.pdf |url-status=live }} The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have found that CPCs are "often non medical facilities who have no legal obligation to provide pregnant women with accurate information and are not subject to HIPAA or required by law to maintain client confidentiality." A mixed methods analysis of patients seeking care from CPC's found that people seek out CPC's for pregnancy confirmation, lack of access to healthcare, and abortions. {{Cite web |last=Chan, Korotkaya, Osadchiy, Sridhar |first=Elaine, Yelena, Vadim, Aparna |title=Patient Experiences at California Crisis Pregnancy Centers: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Online Crowd-Sourced Reviews, 2010–2019 |url=https://sma.org/southern-medical-journal/article/patient-experiences-at-california-crisis-pregnancy-centers-a-mixed-methods-analysis-of-online-crowd-sourced-reviews-2010-2019/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |language=en-US |doi=10.14423/smj.0000000000001353}}The patients reported a range of positive and negative experiences but mostly reported reduced options and some kind of deception. Care Net denounces "any form of deception in its corporate advertising or individual conversations with its clients", though they also say of their promotion of an abortion–breast cancer link that their "role is clearly to include this possible risk when [they] educate clients about all the risks of abortions."

A July 2006 report by Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) and his minority members' staff in the House Committee on Government Reform noted that CPCs had received over $30{{nbsp}}million in federal funding since 2001, derived mostly from programs for abstinence-only education. For this report, female investigators telephoned CPCs that had received federal funding, and posed as pregnant teenagers deciding whether to get an abortion. They found that 20 of the 23 centers reached, (87%) provided false or misleading information about the health effects of abortion, particularly about a supposed link between abortion and breast cancer, supposed risks to subsequent fertility, and supposed negative mental health repercussions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chsourcebook.com/articles/waxman2.pdf|title=False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers|last=Waxman|first=Henry|date=July 2016|website=Consumer Health Sourcebook|publisher=United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118232823/https://www.chsourcebook.com/articles/waxman2.pdf|archive-date=January 18, 2018|access-date=25 April 2018}}

The overwhelming majority of CPCs in the U.S. are run by Christians according to a conservative Christian philosophy.{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1590444,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218124958/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1590444,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 18, 2007 |title=The Grass-Roots Abortion War |magazine=Time |date=February 15, 2007 |last=Gibbs |first=Nancy|url-access=subscription}}{{cite web|url=http://www.care-net.org/aboutus/|title=About|first=Care|last=Net|website=www.care-net.org|access-date=2010-12-08|archive-date=2014-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424194225/https://www.care-net.org/aboutus/|url-status=live}}{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101201192442/http://www.atcmag.com/v6n3/article9.asp NIFLA Christian]}} {{as of|2007}}, two Christian charities, Care Net and Heartbeat International, accounted for three quarters of CPCs in the United States.{{cite magazine|magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/2007/abortions/ |title=New Fronts in the Abortion Battle |access-date=2010-11-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009051610/http://www.time.com/time/2007/abortions/ |archive-date=October 9, 2010 }} Care Net, the largest CPC network in the United States, is explicitly evangelistic in nature, and says that its "ultimate aim{{nbsp}}[...] is to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ in both word and deed"{{cite web |url=https://www.care-net.org/aboutus/ |access-date=2010-11-25 |title=Care Net: About Us |publisher=Care Net |archive-date=2010-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204013436/https://www.care-net.org/aboutus/ |url-status=live }} and that its "pregnancy centers are committed to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with every person who walks through their doors."{{cite web|url=https://www.care-net.org/ourwork/inside.php|title=Care Net: Inside a Care Net Center|publisher=Care Net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026014325/https://www.care-net.org/ourwork/inside.php|archive-date=October 26, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=2010-11-26}} Heartbeat International, one of the largest CPC networks in the United States and also the largest CPC network in the world,{{cite web|url=http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/pdf/Sponsorships.pdf|title=Sponsorships|publisher=Heartbeat International|page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703075846/https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/pdf/Sponsorships.pdf|archive-date=July 3, 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=2010-12-06}} runs "Christian crisis-pregnancy centers"{{Cite news |work=National Catholic Register |url=http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/crisis-pregnancy-centers-a-way-to-shut-us-down/ |first=Rich |last=Daly |title=Crisis-Pregnancy Centers: 'A Way to Shut Us Down' |date=August 9, 2010 |access-date=March 22, 2011 |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302211331/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/crisis-pregnancy-centers-a-way-to-shut-us-down/ |url-status=dead }} and describes itself as a "Christian association of faith-based pregnancy resource centers" whose materials are "consistent with Biblical principles".{{cite web|url=http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/services-about-us/about-us-home|title=About Us|publisher=Heartbeat International|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531145616/http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/services-about-us/about-us-home|archive-date=May 31, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=2010-11-26}} The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), which works with CPCs on legal issues, "strongly believes that sharing the Gospel is an essential part of counseling women in pregnancy help medical clinics". Some CPCs are run by the Catholic Church or by other church groups.{{Cite news |last=Cooperman |first=Alan |date=February 21, 2002 |title=Abortion Battle: Prenatal Care or Pressure Tactics? |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-324539.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924192525/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-324539.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |newspaper=Washington Post}}{{Cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tecCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA37 |title=Abortion in New York |journal=New York Magazine |date=September 18, 1989 |page=37 |last1=New York Media |first1=LLC}} Unaffiliated CPCs, or CPCs affiliated with other organizations, may provide a religious perspective in their counseling.{{cite web|url=http://www.lifeinternational.com/site/c.msKTL6PNLrF/b.3564015/k.C7C6/About_Us.htm |title=About Us – Life International |publisher=Life International |access-date=2010-11-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507165737/http://www.lifeinternational.com/site/c.msKTL6PNLrF/b.3564015/k.C7C6/About_Us.htm |archive-date=2010-05-07 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.choicesaz.org/about_us/biblical_foundation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021113023/http://choicesaz.org/about_us/biblical_foundation/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-10-21 |title=Biblical Foundation for the Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix |publisher=Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix, Inc. |access-date=2010-11-29 }}

In contrast to the overt Christian perspective of most CPC networks, Birthright International has a stated philosophy of non-evangelism.{{cite web|url=http://birthright.org/en/our-philosophy|title=Birthright International – Philosophy|publisher=Birthright International|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628044454/http://birthright.org/en/our-philosophy|archive-date=June 28, 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=June 24, 2016}} A Jewish CPC organization, called In Shifra's Arms, also exists.{{Cite news|url=http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=12948 |work=Washington Jewish Week |title=In Shifra's Arms |date=June 16, 2010 |last=Breger |first=Sarah |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229055329/http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=12948 |archive-date=2010-12-29 }}

Many CPCs require their staff to be Christian.{{cite news | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/abortion-religion-pregnancy-centers_n_1446506.html | title=Taxpayer-Funded Crisis Pregnancy Centers Using Religion To Oppose Abortion | publisher=The American Independent | date=24 April 2012 | access-date=18 August 2013 | author=Resnick, Sofia | archive-date=26 September 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926065215/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/abortion-religion-pregnancy-centers_n_1446506.html | url-status=live }} For example, as a condition of affiliation, Care Net and the Canadian Association of Pregnancy Support Services, the two largest CPC organizations in the United States and Canada respectively, require each employee and volunteer of a prospective affiliate to comply with a statement of faith.{{Cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/844997 |work=Toronto Star |title=Deception used in counselling women against abortion |date=August 7, 2010 |last=Smith |first=Joanna |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023004336/http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/844997 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|publisher=Care Net |title=Care Net Affiliation Application |url=https://www.care-net.org/public/file_server.php?id=798 |access-date=2010-11-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204022821/https://www.care-net.org/public/file_server.php?id=798 |archive-date=2010-12-04 }}{{cite web |title=Standards of Affiliation |url=http://www.capss.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=122&Itemid=377&lang=en |publisher=Canadian Association of Pregnancy Support Services |access-date=2010-11-29 |archive-date=2010-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100815063910/http://capss.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=122&Itemid=377&lang=en |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|url=http://americanindependent.com/215472/jobs-for-christians |work=The American Independent |date=April 24, 2012 |title=Jobs for Christians |first=Sofia |last=Resnick |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608063840/http://americanindependent.com/215472/jobs-for-christians |archive-date=June 8, 2012 }} CPCs unaffiliated with either of these may also require staff to be Christian.[http://www.southsidepregnancy.org/AboutUs.aspx About Southside Pregnancy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503193258/http://www.southsidepregnancy.org/AboutUs.aspx|date=May 3, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pregnancy.ca/volunteer/ |title=Crisis Pregnancy Centre – Volunteer |publisher=Crisis Pregnancy Centre of Winnipeg |access-date=2010-11-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917034911/http://www.pregnancy.ca/volunteer/ |archive-date=2010-09-17 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.choicesaz.org/community/volunteer/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021113119/http://choicesaz.org/community/volunteer/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-10-21 |title=How to Volunteer with the Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix |publisher=Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix, Inc. |access-date=2010-11-29 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/0/A10DB54FC3F9A33A852575580062B392 |publisher=Bethany Christian Services |title=Values Statement |access-date=2011-03-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719040833/http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/0/A10DB54FC3F9A33A852575580062B392 |archive-date=2011-07-19 }}

Religious activity is sometimes part of a CPC customer's experience. Care Net, which "is committed to presenting the gospel of our Lord to women with crisis pregnancies", claims to have effected over 23,000 conversions or restatements of Christian faith. NIFLA "strongly believes that sharing the Gospel is an essential part of counseling women in pregnancy help medical clinics". Some visitors to CPCs report that employees subjected them to unwanted evangelizing.{{Cite news |work=Connect Savannah |title=Pregnant? Worried? |url=https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/pregnant-worried/Content?oid=2160160 |date=October 23, 2008 |last=Goers |first=Beth |access-date=December 28, 2018 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729013626/https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/pregnant-worried/Content?oid=2160160 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/babies_bibles/7127/ |work=Pasadena Weekly |last=Dupuy |first=Tina |date=April 16, 2009 |title=Babies & Bibles |access-date=November 26, 2010 |archive-date=August 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819140905/http://pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/babies_bibles/7127/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |url=http://www.csindy.com/colorado/moms-the-word/Content?oid=1138564 |work=Colorado Springs Independent |title=Mom's the word |last=Zeveloff |first=Naomi |date=May 24, 2007 |access-date=November 28, 2010 |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402071843/http://www.csindy.com/colorado/moms-the-word/Content?oid=1138564 |url-status=dead }}

CPCs outside the United States are also frequently Christian. CareConfidential, the largest umbrella network for CPCs in the United Kingdom, runs "Christian-based pregnancy crisis centres"{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8564000/8564910.stm |publisher=BBC |work=BBC News |date=March 15, 2010 |last=Jones |first=Mark |title=Pregnancy crisis centres for women in Wiltshire |access-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-date=October 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026013919/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8564000/8564910.stm |url-status=live }} and is a division of the Christian charity CARE.{{cite web |url=http://www.careconfidential.com/AboutUs.aspx |title=About CareConfidential |access-date=2010-11-28 |publisher=CareConfidential |archive-date=2010-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115151902/http://www.careconfidential.com/AboutUs.aspx |url-status=live }} The Canadian Association of Pregnancy Support Services, a similar network in Canada whose centers may also affiliate with Care Net or Heartbeat International, describes itself as a "Christian charity";{{cite web |url=http://www.capss.com/ |title=Welcome to the Canadian Association of Pregnancy Support Services |access-date=2010-11-28 |publisher=Canadian Association of Pregnancy Support Services |archive-date=2011-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201103137/http://capss.com/ |url-status=dead }} its affiliates "adhere firmly to Christianity". The United States-based Human Life International runs "Catholic pregnancy centers" in Mexico{{cite web|url=http://www.hli.org/index.php/about/hli-programs |title=International abortion awareness and pro life programs from HLI |access-date=2010-11-30 |publisher=Human Life International |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230181613/http://www.hli.org/index.php/about/hli-programs |archive-date=2010-12-30 }} and also provides aid to the Centros de Ayuda para la Mujer, a network of CPCs in Latin America whose philosophy is "in conformity with the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church."{{cite web|url=http://www.camslatinoamerica.org/Home_Cams.html |title=Cams Latinoamericana |access-date=2010-11-30 |publisher=CAMS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120052504/http://www.camslatinoamerica.org/Home_Cams.html |archive-date=2011-01-20 }} As in the United States, unaffiliated CPCs may also be run by church groups or are otherwise Christian.

Most crisis pregnancy centers are affiliated with several major anti-abortion organizations in the United States; these are Care Net, Heartbeat International, Birthright International, and National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA).{{Cite book |title=Girls on the stand: how courts fail pregnant minors |last=Silverstein |first=Helena |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bwglJ82CfgMC&pg=PA200 |page=200 |year=2007 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=9780814740316}} A CPC may be affiliated with more than one network. US-based Care Net and Heartbeat International are the world's two largest CPC networks with about 3,000 associated centers between them in the United States and abroad.{{cite web|url=http://www.americanindependent.com/175597/largest-crisis-pregnancy-care-centers-not-clamoring-for-proposed-sonogram-grants|title=Largest crisis pregnancy care centers not clamoring for proposed sonogram grants|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104164925/http://www.americanindependent.com/175597/largest-crisis-pregnancy-care-centers-not-clamoring-for-proposed-sonogram-grants|archive-date=November 4, 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/about_us.htm|title=About Us|publisher=Heartbeat International|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603103240/http://heartbeatinternational.org/about_us.htm|archive-date=June 3, 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-06-20}} Italy, for example, has more than 400 CPCs associated with Heartbeat International, the largest number outside the U.S.{{Cite web |last=Provost, Archer |first=Claire, Nandini |title=Exclusive: Trump-linked religious 'extremists' target women with disinformation worldwide |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/trump-linked-religious-extremists-global-disinformation-pregnant-women/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408062502/https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/trump-linked-religious-extremists-global-disinformation-pregnant-women/ |archive-date=2020-04-08 |access-date=2020-04-15 |website=openDemocracy |language=en}} The largest UK organisations are CareConfidential and LIFE, while the largest Canadian one is the Canadian Association of Pregnancy Support Services (CAPSS). Human Life International, a Catholic group opposed to abortion, also runs CPCs outside the United States.

File:Advertisement for CPC.jpeg

CPCs have been criticized for deceptive advertising. Some falsely advertise abortion services, attracting clients who wish to have an abortion.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/22/us/anti-abortion-center-s-ads-ruled-misleading.html?sq=crisis+pregnancy+centers&scp=9&st=cse |title=Anti-Abortion Center's Ads Ruled Misleading |work=The New York Times |last=Lewin |first=Tamar |date=April 22, 1994 |access-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081601/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/22/us/anti-abortion-center-s-ads-ruled-misleading.html?sq=crisis+pregnancy+centers&scp=9&st=cse |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=http://www.salon.com/2014/04/28/google_will_take_down_deceptive_ads_for_crisis_pregnancy_centers/ |work=Salon |first=Katie |last=McDonough |title=Google will take down deceptive ads for crisis pregnancy centers |date=April 28, 2014 |access-date=September 21, 2015 |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930174723/http://www.salon.com/2014/04/28/google_will_take_down_deceptive_ads_for_crisis_pregnancy_centers/ |url-status=live }} In the 1980s, investigative reporters from the Arizona Republic, the San Francisco Chronicle and CBS News, among others, filed stories about CPCs attracting women by offering free pregnancy tests but then presenting them with religious arguments and scare tactics against abortion.{{cite book |page=191 |last1=Greenwald |first1=Marilyn S. |last2=Bernt |first2=Joseph |title=The big chill: investigative reporting in the current media environment |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2000 |isbn=0-8138-2805-8}} CPCs may intentionally locate near, and look like, abortion clinics; critics have also objected to CPCs' use of rhetoric and advertising language similar to those of abortion providers, such as "Plan Your Parenthood" or a directory listing under "abortion services" or "clinics". These, they say, may mislead pregnant women seeking abortion into contacting a CPC.{{cite web |url=http://www.prochoiceny.org/assets/bin/pdfs/cpcreport2010.pdf |publisher=NARAL Pro-Choice New York; National Institute for Reproductive Health |access-date=2013-06-27 |title="She said abortion could cause breast cancer": a report on the lies, manipulations and privacy violations of crisis pregnancy centers in New York City |date=October 2010 |archive-date=2014-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409175523/http://www.prochoiceny.org/assets/bin/pdfs/cpcreport2010.pdf |url-status=live }} In particular, the advertising approach of the Pearson Foundation, which assists local groups establishing CPCs, has been criticized by some other anti-abortion groups, including Birthright International, another CPC operator.{{cite news| first = Jane| last = Gross| title = Pregnancy Centers: Anti-Abortion Role Challenged| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/23/nyregion/pregnancy-centers-anti-abortion-role-challenged.html?pagewanted=all| work = The New York Times| date = 1987-01-23| access-date = 2007-11-06| archive-date = 2018-07-29| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180729082022/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/23/nyregion/pregnancy-centers-anti-abortion-role-challenged.html?pagewanted=all| url-status = live}} The foundation recommends that a center seek out women who want abortions through "neutral" advertising, and refuse to answer questions that would reveal that they provide neither abortion services nor referrals to abortion services. Pearson, identified by some as the founder of the first CPC, said that a woman "has no right to information" that will allow her to have an abortion. In Ireland, when abortion was illegal except in circumstances where pregnancy endangered the mother's life and women often went to the United Kingdom to end their pregnancies, "rogue" CPCs, in contrast to government sponsored pregnancy centers, might falsely give the impression in their advertising that they referred women to Britain for abortions or otherwise provided information for women seeking to travel for abortion.{{Cite news |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=June 29, 2010 |title=Alarm over pregnancy advice by 'rogue' agencies |first=Carol |last=Ryan}}

CPCs also use the Internet as a means of advertising. Some use search engine optimization to get their websites closer to the top of search results{{Cite news|last=Belluck|first=Pam|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/health/pregnancy-centers-gain-influence-in-anti-abortion-fight.html|title=Pregnancy Centers Gain Influence in Anti-Abortion Arena|date=2013-01-04|work=The New York Times|access-date=2013-01-08|archive-date=2013-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107185112/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/health/pregnancy-centers-gain-influence-in-anti-abortion-fight.html|url-status=live}} or bid against abortion providers to appear at the top of sponsored link sections on Google and Yahoo.

Heartbeat International, a Christian association that runs 1,800 crisis pregnancy centers, recommends that CPCs use two websites, one fundraising website that describes an anti-abortion mission to secure donors, and another website that purports to provide medical information to attract women seeking contraception, counseling, or abortion.{{cite web|url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a38642/heartbeat-international-conference-crisis-pregnancy-centers-abortion/|title="Save the Mother, Save the Baby": An Inside Look at a Pregnancy Center Conference|date=6 Apr 2015|work=Cosmopolitan|author=Meaghan Winter|access-date=10 April 2015|archive-date=10 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410180056/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a38642/heartbeat-international-conference-crisis-pregnancy-centers-abortion/|url-status=live}}

In August 2022, after a group of 21 Democratic senators criticized Google for displaying CPCs alongside abortion clinics in search and map results when users searched for abortion services, Google stated that they will now clearly demarcate whether a clinic "Provides abortions" or, when Google is unable to verify that the clinic provides abortions: "Might not provide abortions".{{ cite news | url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3615947-google-to-clearly-label-facilities-that-provide-abortions/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825213052/https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3615947-google-to-clearly-label-facilities-that-provide-abortions/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 25, 2022 | title=Google to clearly label facilities that provide abortions | last=Gans | first=Jared | newspaper=The Hill | date=2022-08-25 | quote=The lawmakers said in the letter that 37 percent of Google Maps results and 11 percent of search results for "abortion clinics near me" and "abortion pill" in states with abortion trigger bans were for anti-abortion clinics. A Google spokesperson told The Hill that the company has been working for months to find more useful ways to display results that show the specific services that businesses offer. }}{{cite web | url=https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/6/warner-slotkin-colleagues-urge-action-on-misleading-search-results-about-abortion-clinics | title=Warner, Slotkin, Colleagues Urge Action on Misleading Search Results About Abortion Clinics | last= | first= | newspaper= | date=2022-06-17 | access-date=2022-10-12 | archive-date=2022-10-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012211929/https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/6/warner-slotkin-colleagues-urge-action-on-misleading-search-results-about-abortion-clinics | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/google-overhauls-search-results-abortion-clinics-leading-users-astray-rcna44853 | title=Google overhauls its search results for abortion clinics after leading some users astray - The tech company said it was updating its map and search apps to include verified labels such as "Provides abortions" or "Might not provide abortions." | last=Ingram | first=David | newspaper=NBC News | date=2022-08-25 | access-date=2022-10-12 | archive-date=2022-10-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012211930/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/google-overhauls-search-results-abortion-clinics-leading-users-astray-rcna44853 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-26/google-will-label-which-clinics-provide-abortions-in-update | title=Google will label which health clinics provide abortions | last=Goldberg | first=Noah | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=2022-08-26 | access-date=2022-10-12 | archive-date=2022-09-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930220443/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-26/google-will-label-which-clinics-provide-abortions-in-update | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/08/25/google-will-label-verified-abortion-clinics-in-search-results/ | title=Google Will Label Verified Abortion Clinics In Search Results | last=Halpert | first=Madeline | newspaper=Forbes | date=2022-08-25 | access-date=2022-10-12 | archive-date=2022-10-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012211930/https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/08/25/google-will-label-verified-abortion-clinics-in-search-results/ | url-status=live }} Yelp stated that it will use new labels to differentiate CPCs into separate categories from clinics which provide abortions.{{r|Forbes_2022-08-25}}{{cite news | url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/tech/yelp-crisis-pregnancy-centers/index.html | title=Yelp to begin prominently labeling crisis pregnancy centers to avoid confusion | last=Korn | first=Jennifer | newspaper=CNN | date=2022-08-23 | quote="It's well-reported that crisis pregnancy centers do not offer abortion services, and it's been shown that many provide misleading information in an attempt to steer people seeking abortion care to other options," wrote Malik. "With this new consumer notice we're aiming to further protect consumers from the potential of being misled or confused." | access-date=2022-10-12 | archive-date=2022-10-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012211928/https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/tech/yelp-crisis-pregnancy-centers/index.html | url-status=live }}

Much legal and legislative action around CPCs has attempted to rein in deceptive advertising by CPCs seeking to give the impression that they provide abortions or other women's health services.

Lawsuits against a number of CPCs have determined that they engaged in false advertising and required them to change their methods, or led to settlements where they agreed to do so. CPCs that advertised that they provided abortion services were forbidden from doing so{{Cite magazine|magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1075208-2,00.html |title=ABORTION: False Advertising |date=October 2, 1986 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629023558/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1075208-2%2C00.html |archive-date=June 29, 2011 }}{{cite court |litigants=Fargo Women's Health Organization v. Larson |vol=381 |reporter=N.W.2d |opinion=177 |court=North Dakota Supreme Court |date=January 7, 1986 |access-date=2010-12-07 |url=http://www.ndcourts.com/court/opinions/10946.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040716022255/http://www.ndcourts.com/court/opinions/10946.htm |url-status=live }} or obliged to affirmatively tell clients that they did not do so. In some instances, CPCs were prohibited from using names similar to nearby medical clinics that provided abortions, from providing pregnancy tests, or from advertising pregnancy tests as "free" if they were conditional upon hearing a presentation or counseling.{{Cite news |title=Medicine or ministry? |url=http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/medicine-or-ministry/Content?oid=1189657 |work=Independent Weekly |date=June 18, 2003 |last=Solow |first=Barbara |access-date=December 8, 2010 |archive-date=November 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117211649/http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/medicine-or-ministry/Content?oid=1189657 |url-status=live }} In one of these cases, the CPC argued that they did not receive money from clients and were therefore not subject to regulations on commercial speech, but the court ruled that they were not exempt because they aimed to provide services rather than exchange ideas.

Several ordinances requiring CPCs to post signs disclosing that they do not provide abortions, birth control, referrals for either, and sometimes other medical services have been enjoined, with courts finding that such "compelled speech" violates the centers' rights.[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/nyregion/judge-blocks-law-requiring-disclosure-at-pregnancy-centers.html?_r=1 "Judge Blocks City's Crisis Pregnancy Center Law"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420014859/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/nyregion/judge-blocks-law-requiring-disclosure-at-pregnancy-centers.html?_r=1 |date=2015-04-20 }}, D. Chen, The New York Times, July 13, 2011{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-27/christian-pregnancy-center-freed-from-abortion-postings |work=Businessweek |date=June 27, 2012 |first=Tom |last=Schoenberg |title=Christian Pregnancy Center Freed From Abortion Postings |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601100102/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-27/christian-pregnancy-center-freed-from-abortion-postings |archive-date=June 1, 2013 }}{{Cite news|agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-12-07/appeals-court-rehears-md-dot-pregnancy-center-cases |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624225000/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-12-07/appeals-court-rehears-md-dot-pregnancy-center-cases |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 24, 2013 |title=Appeals court rehears Md. pregnancy center cases |first=Larry |last=O'Dell |date=December 7, 2012 }} In December 2009, Baltimore, Maryland was the first local government to introduce and pass a CPC ordinance—Ordinance 09-252, "Limited Service Pregnancy Centers—Disclaimers".{{Cite journal |last=Chen|first=Alice|date=22 May 2013|title=Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Impeding the right to informed decision making |journal=Cardozo Journal of Law & Gender |volume=19 |url=http://www.cardozolawandgender.com/uploads/2/7/7/6/2776881/chen_cpcs_final.pdf |pages=933–960 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425183027/http://www.cardozolawandgender.com/uploads/2/7/7/6/2776881/chen_cpcs_final.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 25, 2018}} Austin, Texas, amended its law requiring centers to disclose that they do not offer abortion or birth control services to instead require them to disclose whether they do offer medical services under the direction of a licensed health care provider.{{Cite news|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/city-repeals-replaces-sign-ordinance-for-pregnancy/nRj22/|title=City repeals, replaces sign ordinance for pregnancy centers|last=Coppola|first=Sarah|date=January 26, 2012|work=Austin American-Statesman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410134836/https://www.statesman.com/news/local/city-repeals-replaces-sign-ordinance-for-pregnancy-centers/maHQszVwzMaj67z5b4b72M/|archive-date=April 10, 2018|url-status=dead}} A bill in Oregon would require its CPCs, currently unregulated, to disclose whether or not they provide these services, and bar them from releasing health information collected from clients without the clients' consent.{{Cite news |url=http://www.eugeneweekly.com/article/senate-bill-targets-pregnancy-centers |work=Eugene Weekly |title=Senate Bill Targets Pregnancy Centers |date=April 4, 2013 |first=Shannon |last=Finnell |access-date=June 20, 2013 |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530150704/http://www.eugeneweekly.com/article/senate-bill-targets-pregnancy-centers |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/in_socially_liberal_northwest.html |work=The Oregonian |first=Jeff |last=Mapes |title=In socially liberal Northwest, it is abortion foes who are playing defense |date=April 2, 2013 |access-date=June 20, 2013 |archive-date=June 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618232620/http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/in_socially_liberal_northwest.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.or.us/13reg/measures/sb0400.dir/sb0490.a.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624224950/http://www.leg.state.or.us/13reg/measures/sb0400.dir/sb0490.a.html|url-status=dead|title=Relating to disclosure of health services; and declaring an emergency.|date=24 June 2013|archive-date=24 June 2013}} In San Francisco, rather than compelling any speech, the city ordinance is framed as a false advertising law which allows courts to fine CPCs up to $500 every time they falsely imply in an advertisement that they offer abortion services.{{Cite magazine |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/politics/98277/crisis-pregnancy-center-abortion |magazine=The New Republic |first=Molly |last=Redden |date=December 8, 2011 |title=A Promising New Law That Pushes Back Against Deceptive Anti-Abortion Centers |access-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-date=October 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014081936/http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/98277/crisis-pregnancy-center-abortion |url-status=live }} The law's constitutionality was upheld in federal court, with a judge dismissing a lawsuit from a CPC that had been identified by the city attorney as advertising deceptively.{{Cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/crisis-pregnancy-centers_n_1949685.html |work=Huffington Post |first=Robin |last=Wilkey |title=Crisis Pregnancy Center Denied Constitutionality Challenge Against San Francisco Ordinance |date=October 8, 2012 |access-date=June 20, 2013 |archive-date=June 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619140337/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/crisis-pregnancy-centers_n_1949685.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://abc7news.com/archive/8285599/ |first=Lyanne |last=Melendez |date=August 2, 2011 |title=City attorney Dennis Herrera goes after First Resort |work=ABC 7 |access-date=November 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624225103/http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8285599 |archive-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=live }}

California's 2015 Reproductive FACT Act requires CPCs without medical licenses to post signs saying that they are not licensed medical facilities and have no medical professionals providing or supervising services; CPCs must also let clients know about the state's public programs for reproductive health care.{{Cite news |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2015/10/california_reproductive_fact_act_challenged_by_crisis_pregnancy_centers.html |work=Slate |title=A Woman's Right to Know |first=Dahlia |last=Lithwick |date=October 20, 2015 |access-date=January 12, 2016 |archive-date=January 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112115057/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2015/10/california_reproductive_fact_act_challenged_by_crisis_pregnancy_centers.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url = https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/nifla-becerra-crisis-pregnancy-centers-supreme-court/555887/|title = Should Pro-Life Clinics Have to Post Information About Abortion?|website = The Atlantic|date = 19 March 2018|access-date = 18 May 2018|archive-date = 12 June 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142826/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/nifla-becerra-crisis-pregnancy-centers-supreme-court/555887/|url-status = live}} The law was challenged in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, argued at the Supreme Court on March 20, 2018, with the Court required to decide whether or not the disclosures required by the California Reproductive FACT Act violated the free speech clause of the First Amendment.{{Cite web|url=http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/national-institute-family-life-advocates-v-becerra/|title=National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra|access-date=2018-05-18|archive-date=2018-05-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518165502/http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/national-institute-family-life-advocates-v-becerra/|url-status=live}} The Court ruled on June 26, 2018, in a 5–4 decision that the notices required by the FACT Act violate the First Amendment by targeting speakers rather than speech.{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/06/26/606427673/supreme-court-sides-with-california-anti-abortion-pregnancy-centers|title=Supreme Court Sides With California Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers|work=NPR.org|access-date=2018-06-26|language=en|archive-date=2022-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728172227/https://www.npr.org/2018/06/26/606427673/supreme-court-sides-with-california-anti-abortion-pregnancy-centers|url-status=live}}

On March 30, 2006, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and eleven co-sponsors first introduced a bill called the "Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act", which would have required the Federal Trade Commission to "promulgate rules prohibiting{{nbsp}}[...] persons from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that such persons provide abortion services" and "enforce violations of such rules as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices."{{cite web |date=2006-03-30 |url=http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1082&Itemid=61 |title=Seeking a Crackdown on Deceit by Radical Anti-Choice Centers |work=Rep. Carolyn Maloney press release |access-date=2006-05-11 |archive-date=2006-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060428003503/http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1082&Itemid=61 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-5052&tab=summary |title=H.R. 5052 [109th] – Summary: Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act |publisher=GovTrack.us |date=2006-03-30 |access-date=2011-03-18}} Maloney and her colleagues have re-introduced the bill in several Congresses,{{Cite news|url=http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/09/13/2465545/advertising-practices-of-crisis.html|title=Advertising practices of crisis pregnancy centers raise concerns|last=Jarvis|first=Jan|date=September 13, 2010|work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628181822/https://www.star-telegram.com/living/family/moms/article3826090.html|archive-date=June 28, 2018|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-5052 |title=H.R. 5052 [109th]: Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act |publisher=GovTrack.us |access-date=2011-03-18 |archive-date=2011-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124221931/http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-5052 |url-status=live }}; {{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2478 |title=H.R. 2478 [110th]: Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act |publisher=GovTrack.us |access-date=2011-03-18 |archive-date=2008-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201210834/http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2478 |url-status=live }}; {{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-5652 |title=H.R. 5652 [111th]: Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act |publisher=GovTrack.us |date=2010-06-30 |access-date=2011-03-18 }}; {{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3554 |title=S. 3554 [111th]: Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act of 2010 |publisher=GovTrack.us |date=2010-06-30 |access-date=2011-03-18 }} most recently in May 2013, in the 113th Congress.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/151027-dems-look-to-crack-down-on-anti-abortion-crisis-pregnancy-centers/|title=Dems look to crack down on anti-abortion 'crisis pregnancy centers'|first=Pete|last=Kasperowicz|date=20 May 2013|access-date=16 April 2024|archive-date=27 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227204946/https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/151027-dems-look-to-crack-down-on-anti-abortion-crisis-pregnancy-centers/|url-status=live}}

In 2002, after an investigation and subpoenas of a number of New York State CPCs alleged to be engaged in deceptive business practices,{{Cite news |date=February 24, 2002 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/24/nyregion/dillon-and-spitzer-clash-over-abortion.html?pagewanted=1 |title=Dillon and Spitzer Clash Over Abortion |work=The New York Times |last=Tilghman |first=Nancy |access-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081951/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/24/nyregion/dillon-and-spitzer-clash-over-abortion.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live }} then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office worked out an agreement with one of the CPCs in question, intended to be used as a model, which sets out practices including informing clients that the center does not provide abortion or birth control, that it is not a licensed medical facility, and that the pregnancy tests it provides are over-the-counter.{{cite press release|title=SPITZER REACHES AGREEMENT WITH UPSTATE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER |url=http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2002/feb/feb28c_02.html |publisher=Office of the Attorney General of New York |date=February 28, 2002 |access-date=2010-12-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122222354/http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2002/feb/feb28c_02.html |archive-date=2010-11-22 }}

In the United Kingdom, the Advertising Standards Authority mandated in 2013 that the Central London Women's Centre must stop using "misleading" and "irresponsible" advertisements implying that it offered abortion services.{{Cite news|title=Clinics "tell women that abortions cause cancer"|last=Lydall|first=Ross|date=February 11, 2014|work=London Evening Standard|page=10}}

{{update section|date=October 2015}}

{{see also|Choose Life license plates}}

Nationally in the US, over $60{{nbsp}}million in federal funds were given to crisis pregnancy centers, much of it coming from funding for abstinence-only programs provided under the conservative George W. Bush administration.{{cite news |last=Edsall |first=Thomas B. |date=2006-03-22 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR2006032101723_pf.html |title=Grants Flow To Bush Allies On Social Issues |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=A01 |access-date=2007-11-06 |archive-date=2008-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724030552/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR2006032101723_pf.html |url-status=live }} Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Anti-abortion facilities brought in at least $1.4{{nbsp}}billion in revenue, with $344{{nbsp}}million of that coming from the government.Sherman, Carter. 2024. "Anti-Abortion Centers Raked in $1.4bn in Year Roe Fell, Including Federal Money." The Guardian, February 14, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/14/anti-abortion-centers-funding {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503103857/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/14/anti-abortion-centers-funding |date=2024-05-03 }} At least 16 states have agreed to send more than $250{{nbsp}}million towards "alternative to abortion" programs from 2023 through 2025. The number of centers receiving grants is on the rise as grant amounts increased from $97{{nbsp}}million in 2019 to 21 centers in 2022, receiving $344{{nbsp}}million in federal grants. These grants included the Fema-funded Emergency Food and Shelter Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). By using these grants to support CPCs, funds are diverted away from the intended beneficiaries of TANF, thereby reducing the financial and structural assistance available to low-income families. Almost immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, 38 Republican legislators in Wisconsin sent a letter to Governor Tony Evers, demanding that he provide $10{{nbsp}}million in Federal ARPA funding to crisis pregnancy centers.{{cite news |last1=Fannon |first1=Emilee |date=June 29, 2022 |title=GOP lawmakers ask Gov. Evers for $10M to aid pregnancy centers |url=https://www.cbs58.com/news/gop-lawmakers-ask-gov-evers-for-10m-to-aid-pregnancy-centers |access-date=July 1, 2022 |work=CBS 58 News |publisher=WDJT-TV |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630180558/https://www.cbs58.com/news/gop-lawmakers-ask-gov-evers-for-10m-to-aid-pregnancy-centers |url-status=live }}

The proceeds from the sale of Choose Life license plates are also used to support Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) or other organizations explicitly opposed to abortion in 34 states.{{cite web |publisher=Guttmacher Institute |title="Choose Life" License Plates |date=September 1, 2023 |url=https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/choose-life-license-plates |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425045925/https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/choose-life-license-plates |archive-date=2024-04-25 }} Of those 34 states, 19 of the states donate a portion of the proceeds raised to specific antichoice organizations or CPCs, 18 donate a portion of the proceeds to agencies or organizations that provide adoption assistance, counseling, training or advertising, one uses the funds raised by the plates to pay for roads and road repairs and 10 states specifically prohibit the allocation of funds raised by the sale of "Choose Life" license plates to agencies or organizations that provide abortion services, counseling, referrals or advertising. Motorists in these states can request these plates and pay between $25 and $70 on top of standard fees for the plate. A portion of the fee is used by the state to fund adoption support organizations and crisis pregnancy centers.{{Cite web |title=Choose Life America - Choose-Life.org. Choose Life specialty license plates and promotional items to give women an option of adoption by supplying funding to pro-adoption/pro-life pregnancy centers around the country. |url=http://www.choose-life.org/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=www.choose-life.org |archive-date=2024-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316061615/http://choose-life.org/ |url-status=live }} In July 2013, then governor of Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee vetoed a bill for the license plates saying that in his opinion it violated the separation of church and state.{{cite news |author=AP |date=17 July 2013 |title=Rhode Island governor vetoes 'Choose Life' license plates |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rhode-island-governor-vetoes-choose-life-license-plates/ |access-date=18 August 2013 |publisher=Fox News |archive-date=18 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818170523/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/17/rhode-island-governor-vetoes-choose-life-license-plates/ |url-status=live }}

Since 2010, at least 13 U.S. states subsidized crisis pregnancy centers.Vollers, Anna Claire. 2023. "Abortion-Ban States Pour Millions into Pregnancy Centers with Little Medical Care." The 19th. August 29, 2023. https://19thnews.org/2023/08/abortion-ban-states-pregnancy-centers-medical-care/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503103857/https://19thnews.org/2023/08/abortion-ban-states-pregnancy-centers-medical-care/ |date=2024-05-03 }}Kruesi, Kimberlee. 2022. "Millions in Tax Dollars Flow to Anti-Abortion Centers in US | AP News." February 5, 2022. https://apnews.com/article/abortion-business-health-nashville-personal-taxes-fffa6f6f86e6eaa448b8ea89087a1c46 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502023921/https://apnews.com/article/abortion-business-health-nashville-personal-taxes-fffa6f6f86e6eaa448b8ea89087a1c46 |date=2024-05-02 }} These included Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas. They have funneled $495{{nbsp}}million to CPCs. Efforts are led by anti-abortion Republicans. Some notable examples of the extent of these subsidies after the overturning of Roe v. Wade include Florida's increase from $4.5{{nbsp}}million to $25{{nbsp}}million and Tennessee's from $3{{nbsp}}million to $20{{nbsp}}million in state funding between 2022 and 2023.

Under the Trump administration, CPCs were encouraged to apply for Title X funding, which is intended to go to organisations offering family planning services. Funding provided through Title X for family planning services has historically been off-limits for abortion services. Certain healthcare organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, receive Title X funding for services like contraception, breast cancer and cervical cancer screening, and testing for sexually transmitted infections, while separate, non-Title X funds are allocated for abortion services. Most CPCs struggled to qualify because offering hormonal birth control, which many CPCs oppose, is a requirement to receive the grants. One CPC organisation, The Obria Group, was awarded millions in grants in 2019 after promising to provide those services in some clinics, despite not currently offering them.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/30/trump-admin-gives-family-planning-grant-anti-abortion-group-obria/3320141002/|title=Trump administration awards $1.7{{nbsp}}million family planning grant to anti-abortion group|access-date=2019-05-13|language=en|website=USA TODAY|archive-date=2019-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513174539/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/30/trump-admin-gives-family-planning-grant-anti-abortion-group-obria/3320141002/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://politi.co/2JjRdHH|title=Anti-abortion clinics caught in tumult over Trump family planning rules|last=Colliver|first=Victoria|access-date=2019-05-13|language=en|website=POLITICO}}{{Cite web|url=https://politi.co/2BjzHNY|title=Anti-abortion clinics tapping into federal funds under Trump|last=Colliver|first=Victoria|website=POLITICO|language=en|access-date=2019-05-14}} In 2019, alterations to Title X, commonly referred to as the "domestic gag rule," further tightened regulations, forbidding Title X providers from offering comprehensive pregnancy counseling or referring patients for abortion services. This prohibition meant that clients could not rely on their healthcare providers for accurate and thorough information regarding abortion. Although these changes were reversed as of November 2021, they prompted many grantees, including Planned Parenthood, which previously served about 40% of Title X-dependent patients for family planning services, to withdraw. Consequently, six states were temporarily left without Title X-funded services. This illustrates how political opposition to abortion can directly impede access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare services. Title X funding exists in all 50 states as of 2024, with varying budgets. {{Cite web |last=Suder |first=Joanna S. |title=Balancing Program Integrity and Access to Reproductive Health Services: The Battle Over Title X In Tennessee and Oklahoma |url=https://www.networkforphl.org/news-insights/balancing-program-integrity-and-access-to-reproductive-health-services-the-battle-over-title-x-in-tennessee-and-oklahoma/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Network for Public Health Law |language=en-US}}

South Dakota enacted a law in 2011 which would have required consultation at a crisis pregnancy center as a precondition to obtaining an abortion. The law, which was to take effect in July 2011, also would have established a three-day waiting period, the longest in the country.{{cite news|last=Sulzberger|first=A. G.|title=Women Seeking Abortions in South Dakota to Get Anti-Abortion Advice|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/us/23sdakota.html|access-date=March 23, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 22, 2011|archive-date=March 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110325053419/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/us/23sdakota.html?|url-status=live}} In June 2011, Judge Karen Schreier issued a preliminary injunction blocking the law from going into effect, writing that the provisions "constitute a substantial obstacle to a woman's decision to obtain an abortion because they force a woman against her will to disclose her decision to undergo an abortion to a pregnancy help center employee before she can undergo an abortion."{{Cite news |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-abortion-southdakota-idUSTRE76009M20110701 |first=David |last=Bailey |date=June 30, 2011 |title=Federal judge blocks South Dakota abortion law |access-date=July 5, 2021 |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516224542/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-abortion-southdakota-idUSTRE76009M20110701 |url-status=live }} Although the law remains enjoined, the state later enacted another law which excluded weekends and holidays from the 72-hour waiting period mandated for a person seeking an abortion, potentially extending the wait for the procedure to six days, so that only days when CPCs were already open would count as part of the period.{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-abortion-southdakota-idUSL1N0C08R420130308 |work=Reuters |date=March 8, 2013 |title=South Dakota governor signs extended abortion wait period law |first=David |last=Bailey |access-date=July 5, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518013406/https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-abortion-southdakota-idUSL1N0C08R420130308 |url-status=live }}

In some cases, judges responsible for granting judicial bypasses to minors have required them to go to a CPC for counseling before having an abortion.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bwglJ82CfgMC&pg=PA100 |title=Girls on the Stand: How Courts Fail Pregnant Minors |year=2007 |first=Helena |last=Silverstein |publisher=NYU Press|isbn=9780814740316 }}

{{update section|date=July 2018}}

{{see also|Abortion in the Republic of Ireland}}

In Ireland, centres not affiliated with the government exist that attempt to persuade women not to have an abortion. These have been reported to "use manipulation and alarmist information",{{Cite news |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/28/ireland-abortion |date=28 January 2010 |first=Alexandra |last=Topping |title=Ireland accused of exposing women to anti-abortion lies |location=London |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-date=12 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312075628/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/28/ireland-abortion |url-status=live }} including false medical information, and have been called "rogue agencies".{{cite web |url=http://www.pact.ie/v2/index.php?page=options-parenting-adoption-abortion |publisher=Pact |access-date=2011-03-01 |title=Your Options: Parenting, Adoption, or Abortion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514202131/http://www.pact.ie/v2/index.php?page=options-parenting-adoption-abortion|archive-date=14 May 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article685118.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132536/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article685118.ece |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |work=Sunday Times |title=Women 'duped by bogus agencies' |first1=Siobhan |date=July 9, 2006 |last1=Maguire |first2=Dearbhail |last2=McDonald }}The term crisis pregnancy is used by abortion-rights agencies like the Irish Family Planning Association.{{cite web |title=Men & Crisis Pregnancy |url=https://www.ifpa.ie/Mens-Sexual-Health/Men-Crisis-Pregnancy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528154242/https://www.ifpa.ie/Mens-Sexual-Health/Men-Crisis-Pregnancy |archive-date=May 28, 2018 |access-date=9 March 2017 |publisher=Irish Family Planning Association}}

In September 2018, the eighth amendment, stating that the law recognizes the rights of the unborn, was removed from the constitution. {{Cite web |title=Abortion in Ireland: Legal Timeline |url=https://www.ifpa.ie/advocacy/abortion-in-ireland-legal-timeline/ |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=Irish Family Planning Association |language=en-GB}}Five years after the repeal of Ireland's extreme abortion ban, the rule remains only up to twelve weeks for termination, anytime after must be accompanied by extreme circumstances. {{Cite web |last=Blumenthal |first=Niamh Kennedy,Emily |date=2023-05-25 |title=Five years after Ireland’s historic abortion referendum, access to care is still ‘patchy’ |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/europe/ireland-abortion-referendum-5-years-intl-cmd/index.html |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=CNN |language=en}}

The government's Crisis Pregnancy Programme (formerly Crisis Pregnancy Agency) funds crisis pregnancy initiatives and is in turn reimbursed by the Health Service Executive; however, crisis pregnancy counseling grants, provided through a campaign called "Positive Options", are only awarded to centres that offer non-directive and medically accurate counselling that discusses all possible options, including travelling abroad for abortion. Government sponsored centres' efforts to reduce the number of women who opt for abortion consist primarily of the provision of "services and supports which make other options more attractive."{{cite web|url=http://www.crisispregnancy.ie/about.html |publisher=Crisis Pregnancy Programme |title=About Us |access-date=2010-12-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817100944/http://www.crisispregnancy.ie/about.html |archive-date=2010-08-17 }} A survey by the CPP found that 4 in 46 women surveyed encountered a "rogue agency" when seeking counseling.{{Cite web|url=http://www.crisispregnancy.ie/pub/Reporttwelve.pdf |publisher=Crisis Pregnancy Programme |first=Catherine |last=Conlon |title=Mixed Methods Research of Crisis Pregnancy Counselling and Support Services |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118211956/http://www.crisispregnancy.ie/pub/Reporttwelve.pdf |archive-date=November 18, 2007 }} The Department of Health does not regulate the anti-abortion agencies, since the 1995 Abortion Information Act, which establishes that Irish women have a right to know about abortion services abroad and which regulates providers of information, does not apply to centres that do not provide information on abortion.{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/88013/section/6 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |title=A State of Isolation: Access to Abortion for Women in Ireland |chapter=V. Obstacles to Abortion Access for Women Living in Ireland |date=January 28, 2010 |access-date=December 4, 2016 |archive-date=March 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326061921/http://www.hrw.org/en/node/88013/section/6 |url-status=live |last1=Gerntholtz |first1=Liesl }}

Some CPCs have been damaged or destroyed in several types of incidents, with some directly attributed to criminal action and others spurring further investigation. A suspected arson attack in 2016 against a CPC in Albuquerque, New Mexico, led to an FBI investigation; among the possibilities the FBI was investigating that the fire was a hate crime.{{cite news|url=https://www.abqjournal.com/895163/fbi-investigating-suspected-arson-at-pro-life-ministry.html|title=Fires heavily damage anti-abortion ministry in ABQ; FBI investigation launched|work=Albuquerque Journal|last=Kaplan|first=Elise|date=23 November 2016|access-date=10 October 2022|archive-date=11 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011031928/https://www.abqjournal.com/895163/fbi-investigating-suspected-arson-at-pro-life-ministry.html|url-status=live}} On 1 February 2019, a CPC in Culpeper, Virginia, was vandalized with spray painted phrases that included "'fake,' 'you hate women,' and other vulgarities", spurring a police investigation.{{cite news|url=https://www.insidenova.com/culpeper/pregnancy-centers-of-central-virginia-in-culpeper-vandalized-friday-morning/article_8d31f8e2-2631-11e9-a694-ff8468bc7c5c.html|title=Pregnancy Centers of Central Virginia in Culpeper vandalized Friday morning|last=Say|first=Jeff|work=InsideNova|publisher=Culpeper Times|date=1 February 2019|access-date=10 October 2022|location=Culpeper, VA|archive-date=11 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011003430/https://www.insidenova.com/culpeper/pregnancy-centers-of-central-virginia-in-culpeper-vandalized-friday-morning/article_8d31f8e2-2631-11e9-a694-ff8468bc7c5c.html|url-status=live}} An arson attack against a Peoria, Illinois, CPC on 3 May 2021 caused $250,000 in damages. This attack came shortly after the declassification of a Department of Homeland Security document that categorized both anti-abortion and pro-abortion rights "extremists" as "domestic violent extremist groups".{{cite news|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/pro-life-pregnancy-center-burned-in-act-of-arson-investigators.html|title=Pro-life pregnancy center set on fire in act of arson, investigators say|last=Wood|first=Emily|date=7 May 2021|work=The Christian Post|access-date=10 October 2022|archive-date=11 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011003427/https://www.christianpost.com/news/pro-life-pregnancy-center-burned-in-act-of-arson-investigators.html|url-status=live}}

In the month following the May 2022 publication of a leaked draft opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization U.S. Supreme Court case, several instances of violence against crisis pregnancy centers were reported by the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS issued a memo following the ruling's official release in June that cited these incidents as the basis for warning of potential violence extending "for weeks" following the overturn of Roe v. Wade while simultaneously affirming that "freedom of speech and right to peacefully protest are fundamental Constitutional rights."{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/24/politics/dhs-warning-abortion-ruling/index.html|title=DHS warns of potential violent extremist activity in response to abortion ruling|last=Alvarez|first=Priscilla|publisher=CNN|date=24 June 2022|access-date=7 September 2022|archive-date=24 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624212748/https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/24/politics/dhs-warning-abortion-ruling/index.html|url-status=live}} On 25 June, several days following the ruling's release, a fire at a Longmont, Colorado, Christian pregnancy center caused "fire and heavy smoke damage" with no injuries. Graffiti at the scene read "If abortions aren't safe, neither are you." The fire has been investigated with FBI assistance as an arson attack.{{cite news|url=https://www.kktv.com/2022/06/27/fire-colorado-pregnancy-center-being-investigated-arson-wake-roe-v-wade-reversal/|title=Fire at Colorado pregnancy center being investigated as arson in wake of Roe v. Wade reversal|first=Lindsey|last=Grewe|date=27 June 2022|access-date=7 September 2022|work=KKTV|location=Longmont, CO|archive-date=7 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907224008/https://www.kktv.com/2022/06/27/fire-colorado-pregnancy-center-being-investigated-arson-wake-roe-v-wade-reversal/|url-status=live}} Employees of the center accused "pro-abortion" militant organization Jane's Revenge of starting the fire.{{cite news|url=https://www.longmontleader.com/local-news/employees-say-longmont-ministry-torched-by-pro-abortion-group-5519009|title=Employees say Longmont ministry torched by pro-abortion group|first=Monte|last=Whaley|work=Longmont Leader|location=Longmont, CO|access-date=2022-09-07|archive-date=2022-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727191919/https://www.longmontleader.com/local-news/employees-say-longmont-ministry-torched-by-pro-abortion-group-5519009|url-status=live}}

Additional suspected incidents of arson against crisis pregnancy centers and anti-abortion groups had been reported before the ruling was announced. In May, Jane's Revenge had claimed responsibility for an arson attack against a Madison, Wisconsin, "Judeo-Christian" anti-abortion office.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/10/abortion-arson-attack-wisconsin-pro-choice-janes-revenge|title=Pro-choice group claims arson attack on Wisconsin anti-abortion office|first=Richard|last=Luscombe|work=The Guardian|date=10 May 2022|access-date=7 September 2022|archive-date=6 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906174845/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/10/abortion-arson-attack-wisconsin-pro-choice-janes-revenge|url-status=live}} Following the Madison attack, two firefighters were injured responding to a suspected arson attack at a Buffalo, New York-area Christian pregnancy center in early June.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3515363-new-york-police-investigating-suspected-arson-at-pregnancy-center/|title=New York police investigating suspected arson at pregnancy center|last=Folmar|first=Chloe|work=The Hill|date=7 June 2022|access-date=7 September 2022|archive-date=7 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907224001/https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3515363-new-york-police-investigating-suspected-arson-at-pregnancy-center/|url-status=live}} A few days later, the ATF and Oregon authorities investigated a fire "suspicious in nature" that damaged a Christian pregnancy center in Gresham on 10 June.{{cite news|url=https://www.axios.com/2022/06/11/atf-investigate-fire-oregon-pregnancy-center|title=ATF investigating "suspicious" fire at Oregon pregnancy center|first=Jacob|last=Knutson|work=Axios|date=11 June 2022|access-date=7 September 2022|archive-date=7 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907224026/https://www.axios.com/2022/06/11/atf-investigate-fire-oregon-pregnancy-center|url-status=live}} "'Thousands' of dollars" of damage to a Southfield, Michigan, CPC on 16 September was attributed to Jane's Revenge.{{cite web|url=https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2022/09/21/police-pregnancy-center-hit-by-vandals-possible-link-to-extremist-group-janes-revenge/|title=Police: Pregnancy center hit by vandals, possible link to extremist group Jane's Revenge|last=Wingblad|first=Aileen|work=The Oakland Press|location=Troy, MI|date=21 September 2022|access-date=10 October 2022|archive-date=10 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010232803/https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2022/09/21/police-pregnancy-center-hit-by-vandals-possible-link-to-extremist-group-janes-revenge/|url-status=live}} Catholic News Agency reported that there were 82 total instances of abortion-rights-related vandalism, theft, and arson between early May and 22 July 2022. Of these, 50 were against pregnancy centers.{{cite news|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251553/map-vandalism-attacks-continue-at-pro-life-centers-across-us|title=TRACKER: Pro-abortion attacks in the U.S. continue (updated)|first=Jonah|last=McKeown|work=Catholic News Agency|location=St. Louis, MO|date=22 July 2022|access-date=7 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901173152/https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251553/map-vandalism-attacks-continue-at-pro-life-centers-across-us|archive-date=1 September 2022}} In January 2023, the FBI announced they were offering a $25,000 reward for providing "information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect(s)" in the attacks, while a CPC operator announced it would hire private investigators.{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-offers-25k-reward-pro-life-pregnancy-center-attacks-vandalism|title=FBI offers $25K reward for info on pro-life pregnancy center attacks, vandalism|first1=Timothy H.J.|last1=Nerozzi|first2=Jon|last2=Brown|date=19 January 2023|access-date=20 January 2023|work=Fox News|archive-date=19 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119205512/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-offers-25k-reward-pro-life-pregnancy-center-attacks-vandalism|url-status=live}}

• Misinformation related to abortion
• National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra
• Pregnancy options counseling

{{Reflist|3}}{{Abortion}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Crisis Pregnancy Center}}

Category:Types of Christian organization

Category:Anti-abortion organizations