Crisis pregnancy center 

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Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), also known as pregnancy resource centers,1 are non-profit organizations established by pro-life supporters that work to persuade pregnant women to give birth rather than have an abortion.1 Most CPCs are in the United States. CPCs are usually affiliated with pro-life Christian organizations; two such organizations are Care Net and Heartbeat International.2 Some CPCs operate as parachurch organizations, and function within the guidelines of the associated church.

Those who staff crisis pregnancy centers typically advise women against aborting, and promote continuing the pregnancy, followed by parenting or adoption. This advice is typically aligned with the Christian denomination with which the center's staff members are affiliated.123 About a quarter of CPCs conduct sonograms as a way to persuade women not to abort.134 CPCs are distinct from pregnancy options counseling, which offers secular, medically-based information about choices concerning pregnancy, including information about abortion.5

Some CPCs have been legally determined to have engaged in dishonest tactics, including false advertisement.6 Some CPC administrators have been court-ordered to stop representing their centers as providing a complete range of health services, including abortion.

Contents

CPC activities

The majority of CPCs do not offer medical services; this is true of three-quarters of CPCs in the United States.1 Some CPCs conduct sonograms. Some offer bible study sessions and "peer counseling" for women who have recently terminated a pregnancy.2 Some CPCs disseminate information on various topics, including the pro-life viewpoint, sexual abstinence until marriage, child care and child safety issues, career development, and adoption.citation needed Some CPCs disseminate maternity and baby clothing, Christian literature, or Bibles.citation needed

Some CPCs direct clients to an organization that provides scholarships for mothers who give their babies up for adoption.citation needed In contrast to other reproductive health centers, such as those operated by Planned Parenthood, CPCs do not provide the contact information for abortion providers or emergency contraception.citation needed For this reason, phone books may list CPC's in a section labeled "Abortion Alternatives" (as opposed to "Abortion Services").citation needed

Some CPCs in New York offer medical services, such as STD testing and pregnancy tests.5 This resulted in an investigation by the attorney general, then Elliot Spitzer.7

Henry Waxman report on disinformation

An United States House of Representatives minority report by Congressmen Henry Waxman concluded that CPCs provide "false and misleading information" on an alleged link between abortion and breast cancer, on the alleged effects of abortion on fertility, and on the alleged mental health effects of abortion.1

The summary of the report states:

The individuals who contact federally funded pregnancy resource centers are often vulnerable teenagers, who are susceptible to being misled and need medically accurate information to help them make a fully informed decision. The vast majority of pregnancy resource centers contacted for this report, however, provided false or misleading information about the health risks of an abortion. This may advance the mission of the pregnancy resource centers, which are typically pro-life organizations dedicated to preventing abortion, but it is an inappropriate public health practice.1

Funding

Donations

Most funding for CPCs comes from donations.citation needed Centers usually have a director, who may be a full-time paid employee, along with a volunteer staff.citation needed Funding and resources are generally provided by churches, individuals and businesses that support the pro-life cause, matching gifts from employers, and grants.citation needed Fundraising is often used as well.citation needed

Colorado-based Focus On the Family has a goal of equipping 800 CPCs with ultrasound machines by 2010, through its "Option Ultrasound" program.citation needed As of November, 2007, they had donated ultrasound machines to 270 CPCs.89

The Southern Baptist Convention--the largest Protestant denomination in the United States-- has formed an Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), which works to equip more CPCs with ultrasound machines, through what they call the "Psalm 139 Project". ERLC President Richard Land wrote: "If wombs had windows, people would be much more reticent to abort babies because they would be forced to confront the evident humanity of the baby from very early gestation onward".10

According to the Heidi Group, a Christian organization that advises crisis pregnancy centers, most women who visit CPCs and see their babies through the use of ultrasound technology decide against abortion.11

United States government funding

State funding

At least 8 U.S. states, including Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas, subsidize crisis pregnancy centers.12

In 17 U.S. states, individuals can support CPCs by purchasing Choose Life license plates. Motorists in these states can request these plates and pay an extra fee, a portion of which is used by the state to fund crisis pregnancy centers and adoption support organizations.13

Federal funding

As of July, 2006, 50 CPCs had received federal funding.1 Between 2001 and 2006, over $60 million of federal funds were given to crisis pregnancy centers.14

Legal and legislative actions against CPCs

Some crisis pregnancy centers have been the subject of criticism from such entities as the Federal Centers for Disease Control, the Texas Attorney General, the North Dakota Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union,15, pro-choice advocates, and some pro-life groups, such as Birthright International, which operates similar centers.16 All of these have described tactics of some CPCs as "deceptive". Critics charge that these CPCs portray themselves as "medical facilities", when they do not have professional licensing from local or state health departments, and are staffed primarily with volunteers rather than medical professionals.17 A 2002 Washington Post article said Planned Parenthood disagreed with the way CPCs presented themselves.5

On March 30, 2006, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced a bill called the "Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act", which aims to hold crisis pregnancy centers up to truth in advertising standards. 15 Maloney said of CPCs, "When women are making a health decision, they should never be subject to deceit and trickery... Some of these Crisis Pregnancy Centers should be called ‘Counterfeit Pregnancy Centers.’ They have the right to exist, but they shouldn’t have the right to deceive in order to advance their particular beliefs."

Effectiveness

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A 1999 national Wirthlin poll, sponsored by Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, concluded that CPCs are making a positive impact. Of the 650 women surveyed, 66% had heard of a CPC, and 49% knew whether or not one was located in their area. One in ten had used the services of a CPC. 87% of the women surveyed believed that the centers have a positive impact, and of the women who had actually used a CPC, 98% said the center had been very helpful. 18

Prevalence

As of September, 2006, there were over 2,200 pro-life pregnancy centers in the United States.3 While they are most prevalent in the United States, CPCs are also present internationally.19 Most crisis pregnancy centers are affiliated with one of three major pro-life, Fundamentalist Christian and Roman Catholic organizations that fund CPCs; these are Care Net, Heartbeat International, and Birthright International. Care Net is the largest network of CPCs in North America, with 1,100 centers advising over 350,000 women annually.1 Heartbeat International is associated with over 1,000 centers,20 and Birthright International has over 400 affiliates.citation needed The largest UK organisations are CareConfidential and LifeUK.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Waxman, Henry (July 2006). ""False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource", United States Government, United States Government, p. pdf. Retrieved on 21 February 2008. "Many pregnancy resource centers, including all the centers contacted in this investigation, are affiliated with one or more national umbrella organizations. Two such networks are Heartbeat International and Care Net.1 Heartbeat International describes itself as the “first pro-life network of pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. and the largest in the world, supporting, strengthening and starting nearly 1,000 pregnancy centers to provide alternatives to abortion.” Care Net describes itself as “a Christian ministry assisting and promoting the evangelistic, pro-life work of pregnancy centers in North America.”" 
  2. ^ a b c Bazelon, Emily (2007-01-21). "Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?", The New York Times, New York Times Company, p. cover story. Retrieved on 6 November 2007. "="The federal government finances at least 50 nonsectarian “crisis pregnancy centers,”" ... "Many of the centers affiliate with two national groups, Heartbeat International and Care Net, which train abortion-recovery counselors. Then there are small, private counseling and Bible-study groups, both Catholic and evangelical, which raise their own money." "...there are small, private counseling and Bible-study groups..."" 
  3. ^ a b c Chandler, Michael Alison (2006-09-09). ""Antiabortion Centers Offer Sonograms to Further Cause"", Washington Post, Washington Post, p. html. Retrieved on 24 February 2008. ""By many accounts, the ultrasound exams have proven effective in convincing women to stay pregnant. A 2005 survey by Care Net, a Sterling-based network of about 1,000 antiabortion pregnancy centers in the United States and Canada, found that 72 percent of women who were initially "strongly leaning" toward abortion decided to carry their pregnancies to term after seeing a sonogram. Fifty percent made the same choice after counseling alone. A report in July from congressional Democrats found that the federal government has contributed $30 million to antiabortion pregnancy centers since 2001. Most of that money paid for sexual abstinence education. But some was distributed as grants to help pay for ultrasound machines, the report found. For example, Life Line Pregnancy Care Center in Loudoun County received a $50,000 federal grant last year to buy a machine." 
  4. ^ The Columbus Dispatch "Pregnancy centers stir debate"
  5. ^ a b c "Abortion Battle: Prenatal Care or Pressure Tactics?" The Washington Post
  6. ^ "Anti-Abortion Center's Ads Ruled Misleading" The New York Times
  7. ^ "Dillon and Spitzer Clash Over Abortion" New York Times.
  8. ^ Focus on the Family Budgets $4.2M To Provide Ultrasound Equipment to Pregnancy Centers With Goal of Preventing Abortions, Medical News Today
  9. ^ Focus Celebrates Option Ultrasound Success, Focus On the Family
  10. ^ Psalm 139 Project, opening a window to the womb
  11. ^ Baptist Press: 'Story shows that sonograms stop abortions'
  12. ^ [1]Abortion foes are getting public funds At least 8 states subsidize centers whose goal is to ensure pregnant women give birth] San Francisco Gate
  13. ^ "Court Allows 'Choose Life' Plates:Federal Court Says Tennessee Can Offer Anti-Abortion License Plates", Associated Press (2006-03-17). Retrieved on 6 November 2007. 
  14. ^ Edsall, Thomas B. (2006-03-22). "Grants Flow To Bush Allies On Social Issues". Washington Post A01. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  15. ^ a b "Seeking a Crackdown on Deceit by Radical Anti-Choice Centers". Rep. Carolyn Maloney press release (2006-03-30). Retrieved on 2006-05-11.
  16. ^ Gross, Jane (1987-01-23). "Pregnancy Centers: Anti-Abortion Role Challenged", The New York Times. Retrieved on 6 November 2007. 
  17. ^ Bryant, Amy (2006-04-20). "Stopping Crisis Pregnancy Centers". Plannedparenthood.org. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  18. ^ National Poll Affirms CPC Movement, Results of Wirthlin Worldwide Poll, 1999, as reported by Assist Pregnancy Center, 5101-D Backlick Road, Annandale, VA 22003, AssistCPC.org
  19. ^ "Worldwide Directory". Heartbeat International. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  20. ^ "About Us". Heartbeat International. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. "Heartbeat strengthens, starts and protects more than 1,000 pregnancy centers in 40 countries..."

External links

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