Crisis Pregnancy Centers Offer Abortion Alternatives

There are two competing groups in the world for the woman who finds herself in an unplanned pregnancy. The first everyone knows about, because their very existence is a huge piece of American history. These are the abortion clinics. The second one can find listed as "Abortions, Alternatives" in the Yellow Pages. They are crisis pregnancy centers, and they exist to educate women about all the choices.

Many centers started even before Roe v Wade, as a place for women considering abortions, whether illegal or in a state where the procedure was legal, to hear the options. When abortion-on-demand became legal, CPCs' (also referred to as Pregnancy Resource Centers) existence became even more crucial. People with a passion for helping women in their time of confusion and pain began opening centers, mostly with the help of donations and non-profit status.

From this point on, I must make one thing clear: I am talking about the majority of CPCs who make honesty, integrity, and being above reproach paramount in their dealings. There are those who seek to draw women in with misleading statements, or who force clients to watch gruesome videos of abortions being performed. This is NOT the norm. While centers are independent, there are advisory groups they can belong, and in order to do so they must adhere to strict standards of decency and legality. Some of these organizations are Care Net, Heartbeat International, and the National Institute of Family Life Advocates (NIFLA). If a woman is concerned about the kind of treatment she may receive at a center, she can ask if they are a member of any of these organizations.

When a woman walks into a CPC, she can expect to first fill out intake forms, as with any such operation. These forms will ask a lot of questions, but the best way for people to help someone is if they are honest and open about their situation. Then the client will be take a pregnancy test. If it is a non-medical center, the client will have to be the one to administer and read the test. While CPCs have been accused of being misleading by because they are instructed not to tell the woman she is pregnant, but rather to only confirm the test results, this is actually done for legal reasons. Advocates (the non-medical personnel working with the client) are not legally allowed to confirm pregnancy, as this is a medical diagnosis. Sometimes CPCs can be medical clinics with licensed nurses who can administer the pregnancy test, and then confirm pregnancy through ultrasound. This is the only time a CPC can legally confirm pregnancy, and even then it is only allowed if there is a doctor's order allowing the nurses to do so (the doctor then reviews the results to confirm).

Ultrasound is another wonderful tool in pregnancy education. Many women believe that a pregnancy is just a bundle of cells or tissue. When they are actually able to see their child already beginning to form into a recognizable human shape, it can change their entire perception of their pregnancy. While some may term this to be an intimidation tactic, all ultrasounds do is reveal what the fetus is, to allow women the better understanding of their pregnancy.

Peer education by volunteers is another important part of the CPCs' work. First off, advocates are trained that they cannot restrain or entrap a client. The client is free to leave at any time, and always free to make her own decision. After listening to the client's needs, and learning about what her concerns are, the advocate will open options by looking at all the choices, discussing the positives and negatives of each decision, and what is best for the client. The advocate will also offer paths that the client has not thought of, so to open a world of other options. At the end of the session, the client leaves with a wealth of information, including the knowledge of the outcome of her pregnancy test, and can go from there to make her choice.

CPCs do not recommend or refer for abortion clinics. It is that simple. That does not mean that if a woman were to choose an abortion, the CPC community would reject her. CPCs are also available for education on sexual health, and post-abortion syndrome. Some medical clinics may even have STD testing available. A CPC that is operating under the proper principles will not turn a woman away because of her choice.

CPCs generally use volunteers, as their budgets remain small due to relying on donations and non-profit status to operate. Most, if not all, offer their services free of charge, from pregnancy testing to ultrasound to working with an advocate. They have no financial interest in a woman's decision. They exist to assist and educate women facing a difficult point in their lives, and to empower them make the choice that will give them peace.