A new tool in the fight to combat anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers

No one who needs resources and information about pregnancy options should be tricked into going to an anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center.” But when it comes to tracking down accurate information about abortion, it can be difficult to sort out the facts amid the aggressive disinformation campaigns waged online and reaching into every community through the vast network of fraudulent and predatory anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs).

What are CPCs?

CPCs are facilities that try to dissuade people from getting abortions by spreading disinformation and delaying access to a full range of prenatal and abortion care. They frame themselves as an alternative to abortion clinics. But the lack of oversight, lack of patient-centered care, and deceptive practices of these centers undermines people’s health and medical privacy.

While they masquerade as clinics, because CPCs are not actually clinics, they’re exempt from regulation. Pretty sneaky. They can be extremely difficult to identify—even by reproductive rights professionals.

That’s why UnRestrict Minnesota is on a mission to make sure everyone has the tools they need to spot CPCs.

A New Tool in the Fight to Combat CPCs

In addition to offering virtual and in-person teach-ins with community partners highlighting the dangers of CPCs, your support helped UnRestrict Minnesota recently launch “Crisis Pregnancy Centers: A Guide to Finding Legitimate Abortion Care,” an online tool to help people identify CPCs, expose the harm that they cause, and locate the pregnancy resources they might need.

Your gifts to UnRestrict Minnesota are helping us to spread the word about these shady facilities and make sure every person who is seeking abortion and prenatal care can get access to the services they need.

What you’ll find in our new guide:

• How to spot a crisis pregnancy center versus a legitimate clinic
• Information about the deceptive practices of crisis pregnancy centers
• A place to share your story
• Ways to get involved in the fight against crisis pregnancy centers

Because supporters like you called your legislators, showed up at rallies, and wrote letters protesting the state financing deceptive CPCs, the Minnesota legislature finally eliminated the state grant program funneling millions of dollars into these anti-abortion centers in 2023. But CPCs continue to put people at risk. Now we need to shut down the deception altogether, which starts by working together to raise awareness and spread the word.

How CPCs cause harm

A 2022 Gender Justice report revealed that Minnesota’s crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) make false medical claims nearly twice as often as those in other states. Around 30% promote “abortion pill reversal,” a procedure deemed unethical and unscientific by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. CPCs also collect sensitive personal information, such as medical history and ultrasound photos, but since most offer no health care services, they aren’t bound by health privacy laws, putting data at risk. This data is shared across the anti-abortion movement via a centralized platform.

You can learn more about the billion-dollar CPC industry in the documentary Preconceived, a film featuring Gender Justice Special Projects Advisor and former UnRestrict Minnesota Campaign Manager, Erin Maye Quade. Over the next few months, Gender Justice is planning community screenings and panel discussions at locations around the state. Be sure to sign up for emails to receive notifications about where and when you can participate.