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Little Village Magazine published a very timely and important story this week concerning the continuing rise of Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPC) in Iowa and the potential harm that could be done to a pregnant woman seeking help.

A huge tip of the hat to author Amy Zine who covered the phony “help” centers and the harm they can do in this article. With the extremist right wing administration coming we all need to be aware of how CPCs work and how they fit into the forced birth agenda.

Here are a couple of excerpts from Zine’s article:

Chances are, you’ve seen a crisis pregnancy center — also known as a CPC, anti-abortion center, pregnancy resource center or fake clinic — without realizing it. They market themselves as healthcare clinics for women facing unintended pregnancies while targeting women who are considering having an abortion. They make it seem as though they will walk you through your options and support you as you make your decision about what to do next by offering free services like pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling. Once you walk inside the door, however, it becomes clear their mission is to persuade you to continue your pregnancy no matter what.

Despite appearances, these religiously based institutions are rarely staffed by licensed medical professionals or accredited by legitimate regulatory bodies, and therefore are not bound by HIPAA confidentiality laws or clinical regulations. This allows them to employ predatory practices based in fear, deception and shame to influence what women decide to do with their bodies. Many of their websites also include disinformation on contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted infections and other healthcare topics. For example, some claim abortion causes lasting consequences such as cancer and infertility, which is not backed by science.

One of the most common services advertised by CPCs is a free ultrasound, which appeals to many who think they may be pregnant. However, the majority of ultrasounds are performed by volunteers who are not medical professionals and can, unintentionally or maliciously, provide women with incorrect information.

There have been documented cases of CPC volunteers inaccurately estimating how far along a pregnancy is, causing a woman to believe she has plenty of time to decide if she wants an abortion when she is in fact fast approaching the legal deadline, or alternatively informing her she is too far along to get an abortion when she still has time.

From there Zine goes on to list how CPCs are NOT real health clinics and how their incompetence can be very harmful. She also goes on to explain how and why our state is entangled with these religious fake set ups.

In this time when Roe v. Wade has been overturned and women are losing rights in our country on a daily basis everyone, especially women need to be fully prepared should they be faced with an unwanted pregnancy.

The article also includes examples of the misleading literature that vulnerable pregnant women are assaulted with at CPCs. Thank you very much for this article, Amy Zine. Let’s hope it creates awareness where there was none before.