How crisis pregnancy centers are using taxpayer dollars to lie to women
Devastating report finds state governments are incentivizing CPCs to provide misleading antiabortion counseling
Topics: Abortion, abortion laws, anti-choice, anti-choice propaganda, antiabortion laws, antiabortion movement, Cosmopolitan, CPCs, crisis pregnancy centers, Pregnancy, unintended pregnancy, Social News, News, Politics News
FILE - In a Tuesday July 2, 2013 file photo, pro-abortion rights supporter Yatzel Sabat, left, and anti-abortion protestor Amanda Reed demonstrate at the state Capitol in Austin, Texas. The Supreme Court is considering an emergency appeal from abortion providers in Texas, who want the justices to block two provisions of a state law that already has forced the closure of roughly half the licensed abortion clinics in the state. Ten of the remaining 19 clinics will have to shut their doors by July 1, 2015, without an order from the Supreme Court. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File) (Credit: AP/Jay Jenner/Austin American-Statesman)It would be unfair to say that crisis pregnancy centers provide no benefits for pregnant women. For women who become unexpectedly pregnant but decide to carry to term, or women who cannot afford basic childcare resources such as diapers, or for women who simply need a free pregnancy test, these centers can be invaluable. For others, that’s not really the case.
More often than not, CPCs — which now outnumber abortion clinics by an estimated 3 to 1 — can be misleading, manipulative or downright coercive, pushing a distinctly antiabortion agenda that relies heavily on lying to clients. Investigations have time and again uncovered evidence that these centers, many of which are religiously affiliated, purposely attempt to portray themselves as secular medical providers that provide comprehensive care for women facing unintended pregnancies. They don’t, though, and often don’t even have licensed medical professionals on the premises.
So why are so many CPCs funded by taxpayer dollars, instead of just by wealthy wingnuts?
According to a yearlong investigative report in the current issue of Cosmopolitan, there are at least 11 states that directly fund pregnancy centers, as well as one state — South Dakota — that requires women to receive counseling from an antiabortion center in order to terminate a pregnancy. That some states are providing tens of millions in public funding for religiously affiliated organizations — some of which acknowledge that their primary goal is “shepherding spiritually ‘broken’ women toward Christ” — isn’t the only issue; Cosmopolitan also discovered a troubling funding breakdown that indicates some states are actively incentivizing antiabortion counseling.
The report explains that Pennsylvania, which first set aside funds for antiabortion facilities two decades ago, relies on the anti-choice nonprofit Real Alternatives to run its crisis pregnancy centers. The organization has been tapped to consult states such as Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and Texas as they develop their own programs, and operates under a contract with Pennsylvania that reflects horrifying priorities:
