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Crisis Pregnancy Centers: An Inherently Unjust Limitation to Reproductive Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2023

Rebecca Feinberg  and
Danielle Pacia
Rebecca Feinberg*
Affiliation:
1Department of Health Sciences, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA
Danielle Pacia
Affiliation:
2The Hastings Center, Garrison, NY, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: RFEINBE1@depaul.edu
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Extract

Abortion, though afforded certain legal protections, can be challenging to access in many areas of the United States, a problem exacerbated by the presence of Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). CPCs present themselves as clinics that provide a full spectrum of free pregnancy consultation services, but in fact are pro-life, anti-abortion organizations.1 From the outside, CPCs appear to be neutral health and welfare establishments, leading women *to believe they will receive unbiased guidance based on their best interests. In reality, CPCs recruit unsuspecting women into their facilities to deter them from accessing abortions, promoting only two options: parenthood or adoption.2 Women are lured into CPCs with the promise of free services which range from medical care to clothing and other items. At its most basic level, these deceptive practices violate the autonomy of women seeking reproductive care, perpetuating unjust limitation of access to quality medical care.

Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Law & Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 2-3 , July 2022 , pp. 275 - 285
Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)

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References

1 Sonya Borrero et al., Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Faith Centers Operating in Bad Faith, 34 J. of Gen. Internal Med. 144, 144-45 (2019).

2 Amy G. Bryant & Jonas J. Swartz, Why Crisis Pregnancy Centers are Legal But Unethical, 20 Am. Med. Ass’n J. Ethics 269, 269 (2018).

3 Id. at 270.

4 See Lisa McIntire, Nat’l Abortion Rts. Action League, Crisis Pregnancy Centers Lie: The Insidious Threat to Reproductive Freedom 1, 6 (Aug. 8, 2018), https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cpc-report-2015.pdf [https://perma.cc/327Y-GVR7].

5 Id. at 6.

6 Katrina Kimport, Pregnant Women’s Reasons for and Experiences of Visiting Antiabortion Pregnancy Resource Centers, 52 Persp. Sexual & Reprod. Health 49, 49 (Mar. 2020).

7 Bryant & Swartz, supra note 2, at 270.

8 Andrea Swartzendruber et al., 5 Misconceptions About Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) Among a Sample of Emerging Adults Who Sought Services at CPCs in Georgia: A Mixed Methods Study, 68 J. Adolescent Health S3, S3 (2021).

9 Lillie Epps, Time for Abortion in the Black Community to be History, Care Net Says, Care Net (Feb. 1, 2006), https://www.care-net.org/press-release-020106 [https://perma.cc/9YAA-Q393].

10 Id.

11 See generally Bruce D. Baum & Duchess Harris,

12 Joanne D. Rosen, The Public Health Risks of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, 44 Persp. Sexual & Reprod. Health 201, 201 (Sept. 2012), https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/psrh/2012/09/public-health-risks-crisis-pregnancy-centers [https://perma.cc/J28C-2S6H].

13 Robin Rice et al., Who Attends a Crisis Pregnancy Center in Ohio?,104 Contraception 383, 385 (2021).

**This paper does not analyze the question of whether or not abortion itself is ethical. This paper only evaluates the actions of CPCs that are intended to prevent women from accessing the full range of reproductive options, particularly those that involve lies and obfuscation.

14 Sarah McCammon, How Crisis Pregnancy Center Clients Rely on Medicaid, NPR (July 24, 2017, 2:48 PM), https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/24/538556088/crisis-pregnancy-centers-help-pregnant-women-enroll-in-medicaid [https://perma.cc/9Q55-MF92].

15 McIntire, supra note 4, at 8.

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17 Second-Trimester Abortions Concentrated Among Certain Groups of Women, Guttmacher Inst. (Dec. 16, 2011), https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2011/second-trimester-abortions-concentrated-among-certain-groups-women [https://perma.cc/QTV4-LLUQ].

18 John Rawls, A Theory of Justice 43 (Otfried Höffe ed., Joost den Haan trans., 2013) (1971).

19 Susan A. Cohen, Abortion and Women of Color: The Bigger Picture, Guttmacher Inst. (Aug. 6, 2008), https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2008/08/abortion-and-women-color-bigger-picture [https://perma.cc/L3J5-56HE].

20 Ethical Decision Making in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 110 Obstetrics & Gynecology 1479, 1483 (2007).

21 U.S. House of Representatives, False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers (July 2006).

22 Public Funding for Abortion, ACLU (2022), https://www.aclu.org/other/public-funding-abortion [https://perma.cc/6R2Q-937M].

23 Aziza Ahmed, Informed Decision Making and Abortion: Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Informed Consent, and the First Amendment, 43 J.L. MED. & Ethics 51, 51 (2015).

24 The United Plates of America, Choose Life America, Inc., http://www.choose-life.org [https://perma.cc/JD7R-DSSD]; see also “Choose Life” License Plates, Guttmacher Inst. (May 1, 2022), https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/choose-life-license-plates [https://perma.cc/WPP6-3CL6].

25 https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/choose-life-license-plates.

26 John J Palmieri & Theodore A. Stern, Lies in the Doctor-Patient Relationship, 11 Primary Care Companion J. Clinical Psychiatry 163, 166 (2009).

27 Brian McKinstry, Paternalism and the Doctor-Patient Relationship in General Practice, 42 Brit. J. Gen. Prac. 340, 340 (1992).

28 Robert J. Sullivan, Lawrence W. Menapace & Royce M. White, Truth-Telling and Patient Diagnoses, 27 J. Med. Ethics 192, 193 (2001).

29 Thomas Mertens, On Kant’s Duty to Speak the Truth, 21 Kantian Rev. 27, 27 (2016).

30 Nancy Berlinger, What is Meant by Telling the Truth: Bonhoeffer on the Ethics of Disclosure, 16 Stud. in Christian Ethics 80, 81 (2003).

31 Amy G. Bryant et al., Crisis Pregnancy Center Websites: Information, Misinformation and Disinformation, 90 Contraception 601, 603 (2014).

32 Alice X. Chen, Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Impeding the Right to Informed Decision Making, 19 Cardozo J.L. & Gender 933, 934 (2013).

33 B. Jessie Hill, Casey Meets the Crisis Pregnancy Centers, 43 J.L., Med. & Ethics 59, 59 (2015).

34 Jenny Kutner, How Crisis Pregnancy Centers Are Using Taxpayer Dollars to Lie to Women, Salon (July 14, 2015, 5:41 PM), https://www.salon.com/2015/07/14/how_crisis_pregnancy_centers_are_using_taxpayer_dollars_to_lie_to_women/ [https://perma.cc/BPB9-ZPLC].

35 Jenny Kutner, Crisis pregnancy center tells woman her IUD is “your baby,” plus countless other lies, Salon (March 18, 2015, 3:49 PM), https://www.salon.com/2015/03/18/crisis_pregnancy_center_tells_woman_her_iud_is_your_baby_plus_countless_other_lies/

36 Joanne D. Rosen, The Public Health Risks of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, 44 Persp. on Sexual & Reprod. Health 201, 201 (Sept. 2012).

37 See generally Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Biomedical Ethics: From Paternalism to Autonomy? (Andreas-Holger Maehle & Johanna Geyer-Kordesch eds.) (2002).

38 Bryant & Swartz, supra note 2, at 271.

39 Id. at 270.

40 Irzik & Kurtulmus, “What Is Epistemic Public Trust in Science?”

41 Ahmed, supra note 24, at 55.

42 Bryant & Swartz, supra note 2, at 271.

43 Kendra Hutchins, “Gummy Bears” and “Teddy Grahams”: Ultrasounds as Religious Biopower in Crisis Pregnancy Centers, 277 Soc. Sci. & Med. 113925, 113931 (2021).

44 Health & Hum. Servs.: Off. Population Affs., About Title X Service Grants, https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/title-x-service-grants/about-title-x-service-grants [https://perma.cc/3XR3-TPWN].

45 Project Grants and Contracts for Family Planning Services, 42 U.S.C. 300 §1008.

46 Health & Hum. Servs.: Off. Population Affs., HHS Awards Title X Family Planning Service Grants (Mar. 29, 2019), https://opa.hhs.gov/about/news/grant-award-announcements/hhs-awards-title-x-family-planning-service-grants [https://perma.cc/N3H4-GLEZ].

47 Kenneth P. Vogel & Robert Pear, Trump Administration Gives Family Planning Grant to Anti-Abortion Group, N.Y. Times (Mar. 29, 2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/us/politics/trump-grant-abortion.html [https://perma.cc/F4SS-JC2G].

48 Jessica Glenza, Anti-abortion Centers Receive At Least $4M From US Coronavirus Bailout, The Guardian (Aug. 3, 2020, 4:30 PM), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/03/anti-abortion-centers-paycheck-protection-program?CMP=share_btn_link [https://perma.cc/P5VG-X7AW].

49 Thomas B. Edsall, Grants Flow to Bush Allies on Social Issues, Wash. Post (Mar. 22, 2006), https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR2006032101723_pf.html [https://perma.cc/G4B2-684P]; Beth Holtzman, Have Crisis Pregnancy Centers Finally Met Their Match: California’s Reproductive FACT Act, 12 Nw. J.L. & Soc. Pol’y 78, 82 (2017).

50 Beth Holtzman, Have Crisis Pregnancy Centers Finally Met Their Match: California’s Reproductive FACT Act, 12 Nw. J.L. & Social Pol’y 3 (2017) https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1155&context=njlsp.

51 Laura Bassett, Jeb Bush to visit Crisis Pregnancy Center, Huffington Post (July 21, 2015). https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeb-bush-to-visit-crisis-pregnancy-center_n_55ae8335e4b0a9b94852a64c.

52 Bryce Covert & Josh Israel, The States That Siphon Welfare Money to Stop Abortion. Millions in TANF Dollars Are Flowing to Crisis Pregnancy Centers That Mislead Women, ThinkProgress (Oct. 3, 2016, 12:01 PM), https://archive.thinkprogress.org/tanf-cpcs-ec002305dd18/ [https://perma.cc/7K6E-FE42]. The seven states listed in the ThinkProgress report are Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Dakota, Texas and Missouri. ThinkProgress is a division of American Progress-Action Fund.

53 Bryce Covert & Josh Israel, The States That Siphon Welfare Money to Stop Abortion. Millions in TANF Dollars Are Flowing to Crisis Pregnancy Centers That Mislead Women, ThinkProgress (Oct. 3, 2016, 12:01 PM), https://archive.thinkprogress.org/tanf-cpcs-ec002305dd18/ [https://perma.cc/4RBH-ZEYS]; Emily Crocket, States are Using Welfare Money to Fund Anti-Abortion Propaganda, Vox (Oct. 3, 2016), https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/10/3/13147836/states-tanf-welfare-crisis-pregnancy-centers [https://perma.cc/4FNY-2GSJ].

54 States are using welfare money to fund anti-abortion propaganda. Emily Crocket. October 3, 2016. https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/10/3/13147836/states-tanf-welfare-crisis-pregnancy-centers.

55 Jessica Glenza, The Ten States Listed are Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas, The Guardian (June 4, 2021), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/04/states-divert-federal-welfare-funding-anti-abortion-clinics [https://perma.cc/3MKB-QVYX ].

56 Rachel Wormer, Mapping Deception: A Closer Look at How States’ Anti-Abortion Center Programs Operate, Equity Forward, https://equityfwd.org/research/mapping-deception-closer-look-how-states-anti-abortion-center-programs-operate [https://perma.cc/VB48-QSF5] (last visited May 7, 2022).

57 The United Plates of America, supra note 25 (Choose Life America, Inc is a not-for-profit organization with a 501c3 designation that began in 1996. “Contributions and profits from the sale of promotional items are used to help Choose Life America, Inc. promote the sale of the real Choose Life License Plate which raises funds to support adoption efforts of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Maternity Homes and not-for-profit adoption agencies”).

58 “Choose Life” License Plates, supra note 25.

59 2017 Who Decides? The State of Women’s Reproductive Rights in the United States, NARAL Pro-Choice Am, & NARAL Pro-Choice Am. Found. 8 (2017), https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/report/2017-decides-status-womens-reproductive-rights-united-states/ [https://perma.cc/9XSE-2Z34].

60 Haiqi Li, Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Canada and Reproductive Justice Organizations’ Responses, 11 Global J. Health Scis. 28, 37 (2019).

61 Donna Russell, NY Gov. Cuomo Launches Public Campaign to Undermine Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers, CBN News (Aug. 13, 2018), https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2018/august/ny-gov-cuomo-launches-public-campaign-to-undermine-pro-life-pregnancy-centers [https://perma.cc/JC2H-Y69F].

62 Id.

63 Assemb. B. 775, Legis. Counsel (Cal. 2015).

64 Id.

65 Inst. Fam. & Life Advocs. v. Becerra, 138 U.S. 2361, 2370 (2018).

66 Id.

67 Id. at 2378-79.

68 Id. at 2372.

69 Id.

70 Id. at 2373.

71 Id. at 2385-86.