CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS

Those of us who were around in the 1980s remember the unintentionally hilarious TV commercial featuring a well-known soap opera actor. “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV,” he said, enthusiastically recommending cough syrup. Pretty ridiculous, right?  

But crisis pregnancy centers don’t offer such a disclaimer when they try to pass off their fake clinics as reproductive health centers.

People facing unintended pregnancy deserve medical facts that are presented objectively and non-judgmentally at licensed health centers. They don’t need crisis pregnancy centers pushing their own agenda of discouraging abortion.

Here’s what you need to know about these crisis pregnancy centers:

1. They look like health centers, but they are not licensed medical facilities. They are typically staffed with volunteers who wear white coats but who have no medical background. This gives unsuspecting visitors the impression that volunteers are doctors or nurses. CPCs are staged to look like health centers, but they provide limited services if any.
2. CPCs are often located next to, or across the street from, legitimate reproductive health centers. They hope people mistake their sites for real health centers.
3. The real crisis is the spread of misinformation at CPCs. Fake clinics disseminate fabrications about fetal development and abortion safety in their campaign to dissuade people from terminating pregnancies.
4. There are more than 2,500 CPCs across the United States, 200 of which are in California — and that number is only growing. Compare that to the 10,700 safety-net health care centers (like Planned Parenthood) in the U.S. that provide family planning. Religiously-based CPCs are constantly looking for new ways to expand, including siphoning federal funds from real health centers. And sadly, they have friends in high places.

When people test positive for pregnancy at licensed health centers, counselors will offer information about three options: continuing with the pregnancy, adoption, or abortion. That information is given to people so they can make the decision that is best for them. 

At Planned Parenthood, our providers trust people to make the best decisions about their lives.

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