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Crisis Pregnancy Centers

A Guide to Finding Legitimate Abortion Care

What are Crisis Pregnancy Centers?

Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are part of a billion-dollar industry operated by national anti-abortion organizations like Care Net, Heartbeat International, and Birthright. Their primary mission is to block access to abortion services by spreading disinformation and delaying access to a full range of prenatal and abortion care.

Despite masquerading as pregnancy resources or maternal wellness centers, these anti-abortion facilities and fake clinics are not typically legitimate medical clinics and do not provide comprehensive medical and prenatal care to their visitors. Instead, they are part of a broader movement aimed at obstructing pregnant peoples’ access to abortion information and care.

Most of these centers operate without licensed medical staff and offer their limited services for free. Therefore, they are not HIPAA compliant. This allows them to collect sensitive information from visitors without a legal obligation to protect people’s privacy. This loophole places a billion-dollar network of anti-abortion organizations in the unique position of being able to surveil pregnant people.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers are Prevalent
Across the United States, anti-abortion centers vastly outnumber clinics that offer comprehensive reproductive health care. While Minnesota no longer funds these fake clinics, they currently outnumber legitimate abortion clinics in the state at a ratio of about 11:1.

Crisis Pregnancy Center

How to Find Legitimate Clinics

Abortion is safe, and evidence shows that denying access to abortion leads to more negative outcomes for pregnant people and their children.

You can find information about abortion providers on I Need an A, and you can make sure you are going to a real health care clinic through their Legit Clinic Checker.

If you are seeking prenatal care, most primary care providers can either help you directly, or refer you to a different provider who can help. If you do not already have a primary care provider, you can search for one through the Minnesota Department of Health.

Midwifery care can be found through the Minnesota Council of Certified Professional Midwives and the Minnesota Department of Health maintains a list of registered doulas in the state.

Many pregnant people are eligible for Medical Assistance (MA).

Recognizing Anti-Abortion Centers

Anti-abortion facilities mask their true intentions and often offer several “free” services that encourage pregnant people to seek out their care. Here’s how to spot signs of anti-abortion centers online and in person. For more comprehensive guidance, refer to Reproductive Equity Now’s “Recognizing CPCs” guide.

On the Web

Anti-abortion centers may:

  • Push you to make an appointment without offering evidence-based medical information or having a list of licensed providers.
  • Advertise abortion-pill reversal — abortion pill reversal is not supported by science, and falsely advertising it as such is dangerous.
  • Bury the disclaimer that they do not offer or refer to abortion care deep in their website.
  • Pay to show up in Google searches alongside legitimate medical clinics.

In Person

Anti-abortion centers may:

  • Have non-medical volunteers wear scrubs around the office.
  • Offer only limited medical services, such as ultrasounds. Note that these ultrasounds are often non-diagnostic and staff may mislead or misunderstand ultrasound findings which can delay necessary care.
  • Offer so-called “abortion pill reversal.”
  • Push abstinence-only beliefs and teachings.
  • Offer counseling that encourages parenting and/or adoption and discourages abortion, typically with fear-mongering tactics.
  • Offer material resources — such as baby clothes or formula — for “free” in exchange for attending abstinence-only teachings and parenting programs.
  • Repeatedly and mistakenly link abortion to cancer, infertility, and mental illness or health problems.
  • Dismiss or deny that contraceptives and other safe-sex practices are effective in preventing pregnancy. Contraceptives do work, and discussing them should be a regular part of reproductive care.

“Women who have abortions are clear about their decision and most commonly report feeling relief — even years later. Evidence shows that they do not experience negative mental health problems, either at the time of the abortion or years later. They are more likely to set and achieve their goals, and to have a wanted pregnancy in the following years.”

– Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) at UC San Francisco

Get Involved and More Resources

Learn More

  • Listen to the Gender Justice Brief’s podcast episode on crisis pregnancy centers!
  • Read the Designed to Deceive study on crisis pregnancy centers, made possible by our team at Gender Justice and our partners in The Alliance: State Advocates for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.
  • Read Minnesota Attorney General’s consumer alert warning about CPCs.
  • Read Gender Justice’s press release regarding the Campaign for Accountability’s complaint filed with the Attorney General about CPC’s misleading privacy practices.

Share Your Story

Take Action

Report Deceptive Practices at Anti-Abortion Centers

If you think you have been harmed by deceptive practices or harassment at a fake clinic, you can request legal assistance from Gender Justice, the organizational home of UnRestrict Minnesota.

If you have information or concerns about any CPC that may be providing deceptive or inaccurate information, you should contact the Minnesota Attorney General at:

Report unethical care from a medical professional:

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