FAKE CLINICS: How to Spot and Avoid a Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC)

They are popping up everywhere and there are horror stories coming out of them. Protect yourself.

Two months after my eighteenth birthday, I discovered I was pregnant. I was referred to a pregnancy care clinic under the impression that they would offer me resources and pregnancy support. When I arrived at the clinic, I informed the staff that I was going through with the pregnancy and intended on raising the baby myself. During our appointment, I was handed a book that I initially thought was information and resources for help. I was left alone with it while the worker stepped out of the room. Upon opening the book, I discovered photos and heartbreaking stories from couples wanting to adopt. The worker returned a short time later and explained to me all the risks involved with someone my age raising a child and all the benefits of adoption. But, I felt shame and guilt instead of feeling empowered and supported as a young mother. I was hurt and angry. They did not respect my decision or support me as a young mom. Instead, they focused on how much I would be “blessing” a family who desperately wanted a baby—a family who could provide a two-parent household, religious upbringing, and financial stability. It didn’t matter that I was prepared to work hard, educate myself, apply for an apartment, and do whatever I needed. As a result, I left the appointment and was forced to find resources on my own. I struggled to find support for my son and myself. While my boy is now 16 years old and an honor student pursuing a future in pediatric nursing, our journey together could have started better.

I’m sharing my story because people need to be aware. These “clinics” aren’t here to provide young and underprivileged pregnant individuals with resources and education to understand their options and make an informed choice. Instead, they have an agenda and will push it on the most vulnerable- the ones who need support the most. I will never forget the shame and guilt I felt within the walls of that “clinic.” 

-Anonymous 

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A fake clinic is not safe for a person’s health and is also unregulated by the State, but it is most likely paid for with your tax dollars. 

• CPCs are Crisis Pregnancy Centers, also called Pregnancy Resource Centers. They are fake clinics, NOT real medical facilities. 

• While fake clinics may offer limited free services like ultrasounds, diapers, or parenting classes, their mission is to stop you from accessing abortion care.

• Fake clinics often do not have licensed professionals on staff, though it’s common for their staff to wear scrubs so they look like actual doctors and nurses. 

• Fake clinics often set up in locations close to actual abortion providers or nearby pharmacies, where someone may go to buy an at-home pregnancy test. 

• Fake clinics will offer on-site pregnancy testing to confirm an at-home test, followed by “counseling” that doesn’t provide objective, complete, or accurate information about all options. 

• Because fake clinics are not actual medical facilities, they are not required to provide accurate information or comply with standard medical ethics. 

• It’s common for fake clinics to lie about the reliability of birth control and emergency contraception medications, and give inaccurate or biased information about medical and surgical abortion procedures.

• Fake clinics not only will not provide abortion referrals, they also don’t provide birth control to prevent pregnancies. They may claim this is because providing birth control access is outside the scope of their services. In reality, this is to hide the fact that none of their staff members have the necessary medical licensing to legally write prescriptions. 

• Fake clinics are not subject to HIPAA privacy laws. They can claim to be confidential, but there are no legal protections of privacy like there would be from an actual doctor. 

• If there are “limited” ultrasound services, they’re only done for non-medical purposes to manipulate the patient. 

• An ultrasound done by someone without proper licensing can’t be used to diagnose or treat a medical condition. It’s entirely possible that actual pregnancy complications could be going undiagnosed because the person doing the scan isn’t qualified to find it and can’t give medical advice.

• Fake clinics may offer “abortion reversal,” a practice advertised to reverse medication abortions but is not proven effective and can be dangerous. 

• Staff or volunteers at CPCs often falsely suggest that abortion causes infertility or breast cancer or long term mental trauma, myths which have been proven false through years of lengthy research.

If you notice any of these signs, it may be a FAKE CLINIC

• First and foremost, check out these lists of known Crisis Pregnancy Centers. 
  • The Fake Clinic Database
  • Expose Fake Clinics
• Look for common buzzwords like “pregnancy options,” “pregnancy resource center,” “pregnancy care center,” “pregnant and scared?” or “need help?” on billboards, storefronts, and in print or online ads.
  
• If they have an online chat service, are you allowed to remain anonymous? Fake clinics may require personal information from you before they will answer your questions or allow you to ask about their services. This information is not protected under HIPAA.
  
• If you call their office, will they give you detailed information about their services over the phone, or do they require you to visit in person to learn more about what they offer? A center that is not upfront about their services is probably hiding something.
  
• If asked, will they confirm that their staff are licensed medical professionals? Even if staff names are kept confidential, you should at least be able to find out whether they are actual doctors or nurses.
  
• Were you told it is too soon for an abortion? If so, this is a stalling tactic to keep you from accessing care prior to any deadlines in your state’s abortion laws.
  
• Does the center mention a religious connection or “faith-based” operations? If so, chances are it is a fake clinic.
  
• Does the center mention “healing” or “forgiveness” for past abortions? Real clinics will not judge you this way or make assumptions about your feelings.
  
• If the clinic says it does not provide abortion care on-site, does it give referrals to abortion clinics or provide other assistance to obtain an abortion?  If not, this is a fake clinic. 

Fake Clinics offer “abstinence training” instead of birth control. CPC’s use “earn while you learn” programs to coerce visitors into watching anti-abortion propaganda in exchange for access to pregnancy or baby supplies. They’re also very strongly anti-LGBTQ+.

If a CPC is funded by any state or federal grants, your tax dollars are being used on a fake clinic that does not provide accurate, reputable medical care to its clients.  

“These fake centers often use manipulative tactics to get pregnant people to delay real counseling or medical care until it’s too late for a legal abortion. [Patients] often say they went to a so-called “pregnancy resource center” first because they believed it was a Planned Parenthood health center or another real medical clinic. These fake health centers are often found through an internet search, a referral from a biased doctor, an advertisement from a billboard, promises of financial help and resources like baby supplies, or misleading signage.” ~Wisconsin Alliance For Women’s Health

What clinics can I trust?

Here are two trusted sites to guide you to legitimate abortion providers:

• Ineedana.com
  
• Plancpills.org

Article credits:  Wisconsin Alliance For Women’s Health and Hey Jane.