The Truth About 'Crisis Pregnancy Centers'

Crisis pregnancy center: Sounds like a place where a woman with an unplanned pregnancy could discuss her options—all her options. But it’s not. Despite ads touting “free abortion alternatives,” you won’t hear discussion of the morning after-pill at these centers. Rather, enter a crisis pregnancy center and you’ll be not-so-subtly directed away from abortion—you may even be shown graphic images or fed misinformation (like “abortion causes higher rates of breast cancer”), the New York Times reports.

Now, proposed New York legislation could require crisis pregnancy centers to be more clear about their mission. Because their ads can be misleading and their locations are often strategically placed near Planned Parenthood clinics, some women may find themselves accidentally at a crisis pregnancy center. The new legislation would require the centers to make it clear they do not provide abortions or contraceptives. Not surprisingly, the president of a group of centers finds it unfair: “Why don’t we have on Planned Parenthood’s door, ‘No pro-life counseling, only pro-abortion counseling’?”
(More crisis pregnancy center stories.)