What Are Crisis Pregnancy Centers (Fake Abortion Clinics)?

PDF download Download Article
Plus, tips to find safe & legal abortion care near you
PDF download Download Article
This article was created in collaboration with an advertising partner. Learn more here .

If you’ve gone looking for medical care only to stumble across a “crisis pregnancy center” (CPC), you might be wondering what exactly these places are, if they’re safe or legitimate, and whether you should visit one. Often called anti-abortion centers or fake clinics, CPCs are not true health care clinics, and they’re unlikely to be staffed with licensed doctors and nurses. If you want to learn more about CPCs, we’ve put together this helpful guide on what CPCs are , how to identify them , what risks they may pose, and how to find legal abortion services through AbortionFinder.org .

What is the purpose of a crisis pregnancy center?

Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are fake clinics run by anti-abortion groups. They have no intention of helping you get an abortion, but often disguise themselves as real medical facilities to lure people in. Their main goal is actually to mislead and prevent people from accessing abortion care. They exist to deceive abortion seekers, spread dangerous misinformation, and pressure people out of considering abortion.

Section 1 of 4:

What is a crisis pregnancy center?

PDF download Download Article
  1. Often called CPCs, “fake clinics,” or “fake abortion clinics,” crisis pregnancy centers are clinics or mobile vans that are run by anti-abortion groups. These CPCs pose as real health centers to attract pregnant people who want abortions, but their goal is to convince patients not to get an abortion. CPCs very rarely have actual medical professionals on staff, and they’ve been reported to scare, shame, and pressure visitors out of abortions by telling lies about birth control, sexual health, and the abortion procedure itself. [1]
    • Crisis pregnancy centers don’t actually provide abortions or any type of health care, so they also won’t give out honest information about pregnancy options and sexual health. They often spread misinformation about birth control methods, and may even try to convince people not to use methods like condoms and birth control pills. [2]
    • Since the staff at CPCs are not doctors or medical professionals, they also don’t have to follow HIPAA, which is what protects your private information when you visit a legitimate health care provider.
    • CPCs can technically give your name, addresses, phone numbers, and medical information to other anti-abortion organizations without your consent.
    • Most, but not all, crisis pregnancy centers are affiliated with religious groups. They may also be affiliated with national organizations that fund them in order to push forward an anti-abortion agenda.
    2. Advertisement
Section 2 of 4:

How to Identify a Crisis Pregnancy Center

PDF download Download Article
  1. Crisis pregnancy centers try to look like normal doctors’ offices—you might see ultrasound machines, CPC staff in white coats, and a seemingly professional website. However, this is all done to lure pregnant individuals to their illegitimate clinics and pressure them into making biased decisions about their sexual health and pregnancy. Look for these tell-tale signs of a fake abortion clinic or crisis pregnancy center: [3]
    • They’re listed on exposefakeclinics.com or crisispregnancycentermap.com .
    • They're listed online or on mapping apps as a “pregnancy resource center,” “pregnancy help center,” “pregnancy care center,” “women’s resource center,” or “abortion alternatives.”
    • They’re located right next to a real clinic (e.g., Planned Parenthood) , often surrounded by volunteers who try to intercept folks looking for that real clinic.
    • They advertise free pregnancy tests , abortion counseling, pre-abortion screenings, abortion education, or post-abortion care.
    • They aren’t transparent about how far along your pregnancy is (this is often done to confuse abortion seekers and delay their care).
    • They advertise “abortion pill reversal” or claim they can “reverse” an abortion (a dangerous lie). [4]
    • They speak negatively about abortion , birth control, condoms, or sex. Specifically, they might say that abortion is unsafe or leads to cancer, infertility, or mental health problems—all of which are scientifically proven to be untrue. [5]
    • They only offer abstinence-first counseling or information about “fertility awareness” methods, but won’t provide information about all birth control methods, including safe, very effective options like the pill, patch, ring, shot, IUD, or implant. [6]
    • They try to pressure you into continuing your pregnancy or choosing adoption.
    • They talk to you about religion , even when you’re uninterested or uncomfortable.
    • They make judgmental statements about pre-marital sex, single parenting, LGBTQIA+ people, and people of color.
    • They offer free baby items , like baby clothes, diapers, and bottles, but you have to go to a CPC “lecture” or “workshop” to get them.
    • They don’t appear on AbortionFinder.org , which is a comprehensive database of verified abortion clinics. AbortionFinder.org even has clinics listed that can’t easily be found via Google, so if a clinic isn’t on there, it’s probably a CPC.

    Trust your gut. If something seems off, it probably is. A real health center will be open, upfront, and honest, and they’ll never make you feel pressured, judged, shamed, or scared. You always have the right to leave a clinic at any time if you feel at all uncomfortable.

Section 3 of 4:

Why are crisis pregnancy centers unsafe?

PDF download Download Article
  1. By pretending to be legitimate health clinics with legitimate doctors, crisis pregnancy centers can truly pose a threat to public health and safety. Most blatantly, they may delay or prevent healthcare that could be truly needed by a pregnant individual. This could include abortion care, but they may also mislead a pregnant person about their due date, safe sex practices, and more. Other issues and dangers posed by fake abortion clinics include: [7]
    • Fear of seeking healthcare. If someone visits a CPC without realizing that it’s not a real medical clinic, and they feel shamed, pressured, or judged, this may prevent them from seeking out medical help in the future due to a fear of a similar experience.
    • Misinformation about abortion “reversals.” Any claims that an abortion can be reversed are not based in science, and the treatments involved are unproven, experimental, and likely unsafe.
    • Loss of privacy and security. Since CPCs are usually not staffed by medical professionals or doctors, they don’t have to follow federal patient privacy laws. Therefore, they can do whatever they want with a patient’s private information—which may include selling it to anti-abortion organizations and religious groups. [8]
    • Targeting marginalized and vulnerable groups. CPCs often specifically focus on young people, people of color, and underresourced people who may struggle to afford an abortion. They may draw vulnerable communities in with a promise of free services, but instead discourage them from getting contraceptives or abortion care—which can further exacerbate the health and well-being disparities in marginalized groups. [9]
    • Causing trauma. Many people who interact with crisis pregnancy centers are left feeling traumatized and misled by the entire experience and often have lasting emotional pain.
    2. Advertisement
Section 4 of 4:

How to Find a Real Abortion Provider

PDF download Download Article
  1. Whether you want an abortion, pregnancy counseling, birth control, or any other healthcare service, it’s important for your safety and well-being that you visit a legitimate medical clinic with compassionate and qualified medical staff, not a crisis pregnancy center. To find a real abortion clinic near you, navigate to AbortionFinder.org , which is the U.S’s most comprehensive directory of trusted, verified abortion service providers and resources. They only list real abortion providers, and real human beings regularly verify the info about each clinic in the AbortionFinder.org database.
    • To find a provider:
      • Enter your location (usually just your zip code).
      • Enter the first day of your last period (or check a box to say you’re unsure).
      • Select your age group (i.e., 15 or younger, 16, 17, or 18 or older).
      • Get results for verified providers closest to you.
    • In some cases, you can also find a virtual provider (like Aid Access ) that can get you an abortion pill through mail delivery in all 50 states.
    • Rest assured that AbortionFinder values your privacy: they do not, and will never, store any user data.
    • AbortionFinder.org also has other resources to support you during this time. You can view their State-by-State guide to select your state of residence and get detailed information about what you can expect when you get an abortion.
    • On the AbortionFinder.org website, you can also access free resources to help you with funding and support , including financial, legal, medical, and emotional support.

    On AbortionFinder.org , your information will always be private and confidential .


Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Stop Annoying, Unwanted Phone Calls
      How to
      Take Action Against a Predatory Towing Bill
      How to
      Relieve Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy
      How to
      Comfort a Friend Who Has Been Sexually Molested
      How to
      Report Child Abuse
      How to
      Avoid Being Abused
      How to
      Run Away from an Abusive Home
      How to
      Leave a Cult
      How to
      Survive Allegations of Child Abuse
      How to
      Deal With Abusive Parents
      How to
      Leave an Emotionally Abusive Relationship
      How to
      Treat Post-Abortion Bleeding and What to Expect
      Do You Have To Be a Certain Age To Buy Condoms?
      How to
      Report Fraud on Craigslist
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/why-crisis-pregnancy-centers-are-legal-unethical/2018-03
      2. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7784822/
      3. ↑ https://legalvoice.org/know-before-you-go/
      4. ↑ http://acog.org/advocacy/facts-are-important/medication-abortion-reversal-is-not-supported-by-science
      5. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9961680/
      6. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11427-birth-control-options
      7. ↑ https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/why-crisis-pregnancy-centers-are-legal-unethical/2018-03
      8. ↑ https://legalvoice.org/know-before-you-go/
      9. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7784822/

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 70 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement