How to Distinguish an Abortion Specialist From a “Crisis Pregnancy Center”

Posted on October 3, 2022 by resourcefulman

Fake abortion clinics are often easier to find than real abortion clinics. They advertise online with abortion-related search terms and give themselves names and logos that are confusing, like the names of real medical clinics. But they don’t do abortions, they won’t help you get them – and they may not have medical staff at all. Here’s how to find them.

What are Crisis Pregnancy Centers?

“Crisis Pregnancy Center” is one of the terms that has been applied to these fake clinics. They are often run by religious anti-abortion groups, and their whole point is that they want you to go to them, not to a place where you can get an abortion. They will waste your time (perhaps until it is too late to visit a real clinic) and possibly lie to you. The American Medical Association calls them “legal and unethical”, writing:

They seek to give the impression that they are clinical centers offering legitimate medical services and consultations, yet they are exempt from the regulatory, licensing and certification oversight that applies to medical facilities. Because the religious ideology of the owners and staff of these centers takes precedence over the health and well-being of women who seek care at these centers, women do not receive comprehensive, accurate, evidence-based clinical information about all available options. Although crisis pregnancy centers are protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, their dissemination of misinformation should be considered an ethical violation that undermines the health of women.

The ads and websites of these organizations often focus on getting you to confirm your pregnancy and learn about your “options”. When you get there, you may be asked to take a pregnancy test (the same as you can buy in the store) or a “limited” ultrasound, which does not require medical training. If you were hoping to get a referral to an abortion provider, you will find that they cannot help you.

What to look for

If you’re looking for a place where you can get real medical care, including the ability to talk to someone about abortion and birth control, the Crisis Pregnancy Center is not the place. To see the difference, look for these red flags.

Is there small print in Google search results?

Google now tags emergency pregnancy centers that advertise for certain abortion-related searches with “does not provide abortions” or “may not provide abortions.” (Legally, clinics like Planned Parenthood could be called “abortion providers.”) But, as Bloomberg reports , they only do so if you’ve entered a search for certain terms and if the result you see is an ad. .

I tried this and it’s definitely true for the searches I’ve done. A Google search for the word “abortion” in my city brings up abortion clinics labeled accordingly. Big! But when I search for “pregnancy options” and the name of the city, all the first results are fake clinics with medical names. These are the same centers that are marked as not providing abortions in the abortion search, but they are not marked in this search.

If you use Google search, consider using the word “abortion” in your search terms. Our friends at Gizmodo recommend using the Tor Browser if you want to keep your browsing private.

What services do they provide?

Real clinics like Planned Parenthood are open about the services they provide: abortion and other health care services are laid out in no uncertain terms.

But on pregnancy crisis center websites, you will often find that there is no reliable information about abortion procedures or even birth control. Instead, typical offerings are pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and “consultations.” There may be some vague references to “contraceptives” that turn out to be recommendations for “natural” methods that don’t involve pills or IUDs.

These services are often provided by medical cosplay. An ultrasound may look and feel like a medical procedure, but you don’t have to be a licensed technician (in most states) to turn on the machine and rub it on someone’s stomach. Crisis pregnancy centers have been found to give people incorrect information about their pregnancies after ultrasounds , including giving people the impression that their pregnancies are too long to be aborted.

Everything is free?

Many legitimate clinics offer financial assistance, accept insurance and Medicaid, or otherwise offer ways to help you get the services you need, even if you don’t have enough money. Free services may fit into this picture, so they are not a red flag in and of themselves. But if everything is free, then payment is never mentioned and they offer it to everyone up front? It is definitely worth a critical look. Remember, if they are just trying to persuade you to keep the pregnancy, this is not a professional service that costs a lot of money.

Watch out for manipulative language

Dental clinics don’t advertise with lines like “Afraid? Embarrassed? Thinking about brushing your teeth? Find out about your options.” They just say, hey, we are dentists, you can book a cleaning or checkup when you’re ready.

This is what you should expect when you find the clinic’s official website. Candid information, not photographs of anxious young women reassuring you that you can privately “make a plan” and that pregnancy “shouldn’t cost you your hope or your future.”

If you dig through the websites of crisis pregnancy centers, you will find even less subtle things. Like this “for men” page that encourages your boyfriend to tell “parents and others” about the pregnancy because “Keeping it a secret will only add stress – to you and her.” Friends of the world, don’t do this.

If you ever doubt the tone of what you read on a clinic website, try imagining it comes from a dentist. List of services offered? Of course. A page about how your partner should discuss the details of your care with your family? Oh no.

Learn about abortion before reading their websites.

Maternity crisis centers often spread misinformation about abortion directly or indirectly. They may imply that abortion is dangerous ( much safer than pregnancy ) or that people often regret it ( 95% do ). They may offer “abortion cancellation”, which doesn’t matter .

Both real and fake clinics may have information about the risks of abortion on their websites. The difference is that crisis pregnancy centers try to scare you; real clinics provide information on how often complications occur and how they are treated when they occur. Here is one example of a suitable risk discussion .

If you have questions or concerns about abortion or any other reproductive health services, go to a legitimate source (even if it’s not a health care provider near you) and read. Planned Parenthood has a wealth of information available online for beginners.

Planned Parenthood also recommends All Options Talkline , which provides peer-to-peer counseling that Crisis Pregnancy Centers purportedly provides: non-judgmental conversations where you can get information about all the options available to you. They also recommend the Faith Aloud Clergy Advice Line , which can provide religious and spiritual advice about pregnancy without trying to influence your health care decisions if that’s what you’re looking for.

Start with Known Legitimate Sources

Instead of looking for clinics in general, start with a place you know will refer you to legitimate medical organizations. Some online tools that allow you to search for suppliers near you include:

You can also check out the Expose Fake Clinics project, which maintains a list of crisis pregnancy centers.

And don’t forget other medical services. If you feel comfortable talking to your PCP or OB/GYN about your interest in having an abortion, they may refer you to the appropriate specialist.

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