Crisis Pregnancy Centers: The Truth Behind False Abortion Clinics

The abortion debate is nothing new: pro-lifers and pro-choicers alike are very set in their beliefs and not about to back down. We have heard the arguments from each side time and time again, and by now we all know where we stand. After the recent murder of Dr. George Tiller, the director of a medical clinic that provides late-term abortions, debates over this issue were triggered once again. Arguments went back and forth, with pro-choicers expressing outrage over the irony of this "pro-life" statement, and with the majority of pro-lifers attempting to distance themselves from the extreme actions of a few.

When it comes down to it, though, most of us realize that not all pro-lifers are quite that hypocritical or extreme in their beliefs or actions. In fact, both groups have basically set out to accomplish the same goal, albeit from very different moral standpoints and perspectives on life. Though divided on the issue of abortion itself, pro-life activists and pro-choice activists want nothing more than to save lives -- pro-lifers by passing legislation to prohibit the termination of pregnancies, and pro-choicers by protecting women from losing control of their reproductive rights. At the risk of drawing attention to slanting of the issues, I will admit my biases right away and move on: I'm a pro-choice woman with strong feminist values, and I believe that taking away a woman's right to choose would result in absolute disaster.

My focus in this article, however, is not about which side is right or wrong. I'm not here to make accusations about sexism and abortion laws. Instead, I want to discuss an issue that both sides should be equally outraged by: Crisis Pregnancy Centers. In an attempt to steer women away from choosing abortion, some very extreme pro-lifers have created fake abortion clinics that lure pregnant women in with various tactics, often promising free pregnancy tests and counseling for the potential mothers. What these women end up receiving, though, is something quite different. Chastized for engaging in pre-marital sex and ridiculed for their life choices, these women are shamed into turning against abortion and taught about no other options. They are sometimes counselled by a tag-team duo made up of a counsellor and director, immediately made to feel inferior and overpowered. Rather than reporting facts about abortion during this "options" counselling, women are warned against the dangers of abortion and told it is not the choice for them. Some clinics go so far as to report false negatives on pregnancy tests in order to prevent the women from seeking an abortion in time. Coming from important-looking staff members in white coats, this whole experience can be extraordinarily intimidating -- but what many fail to realize is that most of these staff members are not even certified health care professionals, but volunteers.

Regardless of their thoughts on how abortion affects women and despite their beliefs in the rights of unborn children, these clinics operate on the basis of lies, scare tactics, and methods that in no way can be construed to be "helpful" for the scared and vulnerable women seeking their care. To add to the pile of ethical concerns we must consider with respect to CPCs, these centers are also using government funding to operate. Though they do not employ actual health care professionals, nor do they provide condoms or any sort of birth control (or even any information on birth control), they are taking advantage of public money under the guise of providing some sort of medical care and counselling to pregnant women.

To help fight this deception, The Feminist Majority Foundation is working to expose these false clinics and educate women about the misinformaton they provide. Join the fight and let the government know that our tax dollars can no longer be used to help harm and deceive women. Whatever your opinion on abortion, these centers are clearly accomplishing no good, and it is important that the public know of their lies and corruption.