I’m furious at tumblr rn because this ad is for what is called a “crisis pregnancy center.” If you have an unplanned pregnancy, this is NOT where you want to go.
Crisis pregnancy centers do not offer comprehensive sexual health services. They are often religious centers that shame women into keeping a pregnancy. They offer free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds and if you call ahead and ask if they offer abortions, they will not be clear with you, they will lead you to believe they do, they will lie to you.
Things to look out for as red flags for CPCs:
– free pregnancy testing
– free ultrasound – this one is huge!!! They want you to see the fetus and become emotionally attached to prevent you from choosing abortion. Which as we all know is emotionally manipulative and abusive.
– counseling on “all options” with no explicit mention of abortion
– the center website stating they have trained medical staff: this means they have staff that aren’t physicians or nurse practitioners; this staff will feed you lies like a common myth that abortions cause breast cancer. This is false.
-extremely gendered language and romanticisation of pregnancy
These people are NOT your friends, they are NOT here for you. They are here to shame you for having sex and shame you for wanting an abortion.
How to avoid these centers:
– look for the red flags above
– look at their reviews online!!! This center above had multiple reviews from people who were shamed and insulted by their staff.
– try to go to a Planned Parenthood instead
– or call a Planned Parenthood and ask about comprehensive sexual health service centers in your area
These people are monsters who take advantage of people whose emotions are running high and treat them like garbage. If you are freaking out about an unplanned pregnancy, do not go to these places. CPCs are everywhere, and if you know the telltale signs they’re obvious, but protect yourselves and protect your friends! Tell them what to look out for. Take care of yourselves yall.
This post is by no means comprehensive and I can add more to it later to help people out but it’s all I could do on mobile in the car. Feel free to send a message or ask me for more info. I’ll probably tag some pro choice blogs later.
hey not to be an asshole but you sound absolutely misogynistic. Women getting FREE services??? A woman LOOKING at her ultrasound?? Oh no! She’s being informed!!!! Better call the abortion police because she can’t possibly be educated about her other options!!!!
Pregnancy centers clearly state what services they give, there is no tricking or manipulation done, and many are SECULAR, not religious (Birthright International being an example). Some may offer medical services depending on whether they have a nurse or doctor on staff; again, they will clearly state whether they offer a specific service.
A pregnancy center counsels a woman on her non-abortion options, including resources for job training, how to sign up for federal aid, and some even offer needed supplies such as free diapers and other things. They can also lead you to local clinics that can give low cost or free care. Tell me the last time PP did ANY of that.
When I went to a CPC with my first baby, they helped me sign up for aid, and gave me a lot of help in figuring out my next steps with my husband. They give follow up calls after the initial appointment to make sure you are doing alright in case you need more help. (My center was Birthright).
Also, be warned about reviews: many people have been leaving fake reviews on CPCs. I think the inspiration for this was by the Lady Parts Justice League, or some such, because of bullshit like the above that totally slams legitimate help. Dank Pro-Life Memes had lead a campaign earlier this year on their facebook page, of calling out these fake reviews and replacing them with positive ones. I also recommended that they report the fake reviews since that technically goes against policy (assuming its Google Reviews).
PP won’t give you prenatal care, free baby supplies, or help with adoption; many women have also shared their experience of PP or other abortion clinics hiding the ultrasound pictures from them. Pregnancy centers can be that first step to get that holistic help of FULL INFORMATION. Don’t lie to women like me who use or have used them. Sound cool? Cool.
Educate yourself. You can learn more at my pregnancy resource blog @pregnancy-resources.
Pregnancy center employee here.
I just want to reaffirm what patron-saint-of-smart-asses had to say. At my job:
We provide services totally for free to anyone, regardless of their income level, race, sexual orientation, etc. We will help anyone who needs it. This includes pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, STD testing, STD treatment, parenting classes, and more.
We are completely open about the services we do and do not provide. We don’t provide abortion or birth control, and we tell our clients that if they ask for it.
We educate women about all their options and give them a decision making tool that essentially helps them weigh the pros and cons of each option available to them should they face an unexpected pregnancy. We don’t do this with them, they have to consider their options on their own and decide for themselves what to do.
We absolutely never pressure women or tell them what to do. Even of they ask something like, “What would you do if you were in my shoes?” we don’t interject our personal opinion. We educate so they’re empowered to make their own choices.
My center is a Christ-centered organization that was founded by Christians and run by Christians. BUT we are very, very careful not to push our beliefs on our clients. There’s actually a special form they have to sign specifically consenting to prayer or spiritual counseling. We won’t even talk about the Gospel unless they tell us on their paperwork that they want us to.
We provide women with resources/referrals to resources for challenges in their lives that extend beyond pregnancy, like food insecurity, addiction, abusive relationships, homelessness, and more.
We actually do have licensed nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors on staff. This includes some nurses and doctors who volunteer- including one ER nurse who uses her lunch break to come to the center to do STD testing and other medical services. We also make referrals for OB/GYNs and other doctors to address needs that we can’t handle in-house.
I’ve worked in pregnancy care center/crisis pregnancy center world since 2013 and I have literally never seen a center that does all the crap OP describes. What I have seen is dozens of centers from all across the country that are staffed by incredibly compassionate, hard working people. People who will bend over backwards to help a woman (or a man, a child, or a whole family) in need. I have seen people volunteer their time, their talents, and their money to provide counseling, education, support, and even healthcare for free to an extremely vulnerable population. These people aren’t the bogeyman. They aren’t “people are monsters who take advantage of people whose emotions are running high and treat them like garbage”. They are normal, everyday people who go above and beyond the call of duty to help people that need it.
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