Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 and access to abortion was restricted in several states, the number of crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) have significantly increased.
Crisis pregnancy centers are often run by nonprofit groups and present themselves as clinical centers. Often, their purpose is to persuade women not to go forward with an abortion. They have evaded typical oversight applied to healthcare providers by claiming they are not providing medical advice and services, saying instead they are providing emotional support and guidance.
Reproductive rights advocates push back on those claims. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains policy director, Jack Teter said these clinics can be dangerous.
“it’s not illegal for someone to put on a lab coat and give you bad medical advice,” Teter said. “And it’s not illegal to oppose abortion. The problem is the deception that patients are going through.
“We talk to patients all the time who have gone to what they thought was a medical appointment only to be shown propaganda videos, or to be pressured or to be told lies. These are not legitimate medical facilities providing legitimate medical care.”
A recent study found more than 650 CPC’s across the country have received nearly $400 million between 2017 and 2023. Two Democrats on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida) have asked for a study into how much federal money crisis pregnancy centers have received annually, according to The Hill.
The Government Accountability Office said it likely will not have the results of their investigation until next calendar year.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
