Crisis pregnancy centers, or anti-abortion centers, are often unlicensed by the state and provide misleading information to patients, according to the Department of Public Health.
The Healey-Driscoll administration unveiled a public education campaign Monday warning residents about the “dangers and potential harm” of crisis pregnancy centers.
The campaign seeks to help people identify crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), also known as anti-abortion centers, and direct them to licensed clinics that offer comprehensive reproductive care.
Critics of the centers say they use deceptive advertising and mislead people about reproductive health options, often pressuring people to avoid abortions.
The effort will take the form of advertisements on social media, billboards, radio programs, and transit, according to the Department of Public Health (DPH). It is a joint effort between DPH and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation and is funded by a $1 million investment by the state legislature.
The campaign is the first of its kind in the country, according to DPH.
“These facilities are masquerading as comprehensive medical providers”
But the problem stems from deceptive marketing of these centers, critics say. According to DPH, they often advertise in ways that “appeal to those who are considering abortion,” and many of them appear in online searches for abortion clinics. Some offer ultrasounds by unlicensed and unqualified staff and mislead people about how far they are into their pregnancy or delay appointments until people can no longer obtain an abortion, according to DPH.
The state’s new campaign warns people to look out for warning signs that a facility is actually an anti-abortion center, like indications it offers services like “abortion counseling” without saying it provides abortion services or referrals. Some may also require people to come into a center before telling them about services offered, delay appointments, or use various methods to pressure clients into continuing a pregnancy.
“Every day, individuals in the Commonwealth walk into anti-abortion centers unaware that these facilities are masquerading as comprehensive medical providers and pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of those seeking help, support, and options,” Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said in a statement. “As a physician, I find this kind of deception and misrepresentation unconscionable, and as Commissioner, I feel compelled to push back as hard as possible against these shameful practices and blatant misinformation.”
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