Crisis pregnancy center

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Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), also known as pregnancy resource centers,[1] are non-profit organizations established by pro-life supporters that work to persuade pregnant women to give birth rather than have an abortion.[1] Most CPCs are in the United States, and are usually affiliated with pro-life Conservative Evangelical CPC organizations, or a specific Roman Catholic or Conservative Evanglical church.[2] Some CPCs operate as parachurch organizations and function within the guidelines of the associated church.

The counseling services offered by crisis pregnancy centers typically advise women against aborting, promoting alternative pregnancy decisions, such as parenting or adoption, and often following the teachings of a religious denomination with which the center might be affiliated.[1][3][4] About a quarter of CPCs conduct sonograms as a way to persuade women not to abort.[3][5][1] CPCs are distinct from pregnancy options counseling, which offers secular, medically-based information about choices concerning pregnancy, including information about abortion.[6]

Contents

[edit] CPC Activities

The majority of CPCs do not offer medical services; this is true of three-quarters of CPCs in the United States.[1] Depending on its size, a CPC will conduct sonograms. They will offer bible study sessions and "peer counseling" for women who have recently terminated a pregnancy[7]

They will also disseminate pro-life information, adoption information, information promoting sexual abstinence until marriage, religious literature and Bibles, information about child care and child safety issues, maternity and baby clothing, and information about career development.

CPCs may also provide the contact information of outside agencies that provide medical care, legal aid, or social services.[citation needed] A small number of CPCs are affiliated with maternity houses, or temporary homes for pregnant women and young mothers.[citation needed] Some may direct clients to an organization that provides scholarships for mothers who give their babies up for adoption. In contrast to other reproductive health centers, such as those operated by Planned Parenthood, CPCs do not provide the contact information for abortion providers or emergency contraception. For this reason, phone books may list CPC's in a section labeled "Abortion Alternatives" (as opposed to "Abortion Services").

Some CPC's in New York State offer medical services such as STD testing and pregnancy tests.[8] This resulted in an investigation by then State Attorney General, Elliot Spitzer.[9]

[edit] Henry Waxman report on disinformation

An United States House of Representatives minority report by Congressmen Henry Waxman concluded that CPC's provide "false and misleading information" about a link between abortion and breast cancer, the effects of abortion on fertility, and the mental health effects of abortion.[1]

The summary of the report says:

The individuals who contact federally funded pregnancy resource centers are often vulnerable teenagers, who are susceptible to being misled and need medically accurate information to help them make a fully informed decision. The vast majority of pregnancy resource centers contacted for this report, however, provided false or misleading information about the health risks of an abortion. This may advance the mission of the pregnancy resource centers, which are typically pro-life organizations dedicated to preventing abortion, but it is an inappropriate public health practice.[1]

[edit] Funding

[edit] Donations

Most funding for Crisis Pregnancy Centers comes from donations. Centers usually have a director, who may be a full-time paid employee, along with a volunteer staff. Funding and resources are generally provided by churches, individuals and businesses that support the pro-life cause, matching gifts from employers,[citation needed] and grants. Some centers are members of United Way of America,[citation needed] and receive designated gifts, as well as a percentage of non-designated gifts. Fundraising is often used as well.

In some States, individuals can support CPCs by purchasing "Choose Life" license plates. In the 17 U.S. states currently offering them, motorists can request these plates and pay an extra fee, a portion of which is used by the state to fund crisis pregnancy centers and adoption support organizations.[10]

Colorado-based Focus On the Family has a goal of equipping 800 CPCs with ultrasound machines by 2010, through its "Option Ultrasound Program." As of November, 2007, they had donated ultrasound machines to 270 CPCs.[11][12]

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, is working to equip more CPCs with ultrasound machines, through what they call the "Psalm 139 Project." "If wombs had windows, people would be much more reticent to abort babies because they would be forced to confront the evident humanity of the baby from very early gestation onward," says ERLC President Richard Land on the Psalm 139 Project web site.[13]

According to the Heidi Group, a Christian organization that advises crisis pregnancy centers, most women who visit CPCs and see their babies through the use of ultrasound technology decide against abortion.[14]

[edit] State Funding in the U.S.

At least 8 states, including Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas, subsidize crisis pregnancy centers.[15]

[edit] Federal funding in the U.S.

As of July, 2006, 50 CPCs had received federal funding.[1] Between 2001 and 2006, over $60 million of federal funds were given to crisis pregnancy centers.[16]

[edit] Legal and legislative actions against CPC's

Some crisis pregnancy centers have been the subject of criticism, particularly from pro-choice advocates, but also from such entities as the Federal Centers for Disease Control, the Texas Attorney General, the North Dakota Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union,[17] and some pro-life groups, such as Birthright International, which operates similar centers.[18] All of these have described tactics of some CPCs as "deceptive". Critics charge that these CPCs portray themselves as "medical facilities", when they do not have professional licensing from local or state health departments, and are staffed primarily with volunteers rather than medical professionals.[19] A 2002 Washington Post article said Planned Parenthood disagreed with the way CPCs presented themselves [20].

On March 30, 2006, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced a bill called the "Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act", which aims to hold crisis pregnancy centers up to truth in advertising standards. [17] Maloney said of CPCs, "When women are making a health decision, they should never be subject to deceit and trickery... Some of these Crisis Pregnancy Centers should be called ‘Counterfeit Pregnancy Centers.’ They have the right to exist, but they shouldn’t have the right to deceive in order to advance their particular beliefs."

[edit] Effectiveness

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A 1999 national Wirthlin poll, sponsored by Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, concluded that CPCs are making a positive impact. Of the 650 women surveyed, 66% had heard of a CPC, and 49% knew whether or not one was located in their area. One in ten had used the services of a CPC. 87% of the women surveyed believed that the centers have a positive impact, and of the women who had actually used a CPC, 98% said the center had been very helpful. [21]

[edit] Prevalence

As of September, 2006, there were over 2,200 pro-life pregnancy centers in the United States.[3]While they are most prevalent in the United States, CPCs are also present internationally.[22] Most crisis pregnancy centers are affiliated with one of three major pro-life, Fundamentalist Christian and Roman Catholic organizations that fund CPCs; these are Care Net, Heartbeat International, and Birthright International. Care Net is the largest network of CPCs in North America, with 1,100 centers advising over 350,000 women annually.[1]Heartbeat International is associated with over 1,000 centers,[23] and Birthright International has over 400 affiliates.[citation needed] The largest UK organisations are CareConfidential and LifeUK.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Waxman, Henry. ""False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource", United States Government, United States Government, July 2006, p. pdf. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. "Many pregnancy resource centers, including all the centers contacted in this investigation, are affiliated with one or more national umbrella organizations. Two such networks are Heartbeat International and Care Net.1 Heartbeat International describes itself as the “first pro-life network of pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. and the largest in the world, supporting, strengthening and starting nearly 1,000 pregnancy centers to provide alternatives to abortion.” Care Net describes itself as “a Christian ministry assisting and promoting the evangelistic, pro-life work of pregnancy centers in North America.”" 
  2. ^ Bazelon, Emily. "Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?", The New York Times, New York Times Company, 2007-01-21, p. cover story. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. ""The federal government finances at least 50 nonsectarian “crisis pregnancy centers,”" ... "Many of the centers affiliate with two national groups, Heartbeat International and Care Net, which train abortion-recovery counselors. Then there are small, private counseling and Bible-study groups, both Catholic and evangelical, which raise their own money."" 
  3. ^ a b c Chandler, Michael Alison. ""Antiabortion Centers Offer Sonograms to Further Cause"", Washington Post, Washington Post, September 9, 2006, p. html. Retrieved on 2008-02-24. ""By many accounts, the ultrasound exams have proven effective in convincing women to stay pregnant. A 2005 survey by Care Net, a Sterling-based network of about 1,000 antiabortion pregnancy centers in the United States and Canada, found that 72 percent of women who were initially "strongly leaning" toward abortion decided to carry their pregnancies to term after seeing a sonogram. Fifty percent made the same choice after counseling alone.
    A report in July from congressional Democrats found that the federal government has contributed $30 million to antiabortion pregnancy centers since 2001. Most of that money paid for sexual abstinence education. But some was distributed as grants to help pay for ultrasound machines, the report found. For example, Life Line Pregnancy Care Center in Loudoun County received a $50,000 federal grant last year to buy a machine." 
  4. ^ Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome? By Emily Bazelon. Published in the New York Times Magazine, January 21, 2007. Accessed January 11, 2008.
  5. ^ The Columbus Dispatch "Pregnancy centers stir debate"
  6. ^ "Abortion Battle: Prenatal Care or Pressure Tactics?" The Washington Post
  7. ^ Bazelon, Emily. "Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?", The New York Times, New York Times Company, 2007-01-21, p. cover story. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. "...there are small, private counseling and Bible-study groups..." 
  8. ^ Abortion Battle: Prenatal Care or Pressure Tactics?
  9. ^ "Dillon and Spitzer Clash Over Abortion" New York Times.
  10. ^ "Court Allows 'Choose Life' Plates:Federal Court Says Tennessee Can Offer Anti-Abortion License Plates", Associated Press, 2006-03-17. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. 
  11. ^ Focus on the Family Budgets $4.2M To Provide Ultrasound Equipment to Pregnancy Centers With Goal of Preventing Abortions, Medical News Today
  12. ^ Focus Celebrates Option Ultrasound Success, Focus On the Family
  13. ^ Psalm 139 Project, opening a window to the womb
  14. ^ Baptist Press: 'Story shows that sonograms stop abortions'
  15. ^ [1]Abortion foes are getting public funds At least 8 states subsidize centers whose goal is to ensure pregnant women give birth] San Francisco Gate
  16. ^ Edsall, Thomas B. (2006-03-22). Grants Flow To Bush Allies On Social Issues. Washington Post A01. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  17. ^ a b Seeking a Crackdown on Deceit by Radical Anti-Choice Centers. Rep. Carolyn Maloney press release (2006-03-30). Retrieved on 2006-05-11.
  18. ^ Gross, Jane. "Pregnancy Centers: Anti-Abortion Role Challenged", The New York Times, 1987-01-23. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. 
  19. ^ Bryant, Amy (2006-04-20). Stopping Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Plannedparenthood.org. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  20. ^ "Abortion Battle: Prenatal Care or Pressure Tactics?" The Washington Post
  21. ^ National Poll Affirms CPC Movement, Results of Wirthlin Worldwide Poll, 1999, as reported by Assist Pregnancy Center, 5101-D Backlick Road, Annandale, VA 22003, AssistCPC.org
  22. ^ Worldwide Directory. Heartbeat International. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  23. ^ About Us. Heartbeat International. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. “Heartbeat strengthens, starts and protects more than 1,000 pregnancy centers in 40 countries...”

[edit] External links

[edit] Pro-Life Sites

[edit] Pro-choice Sites

[edit] Government Sites

[edit] Press