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What are crisis pregnancy centers aka “fake clinics”?

Crisis pregnancy centers (sometimes called pregnancy resource centers) are anti-abortion religious organizations that try really hard to seem like a normal doctor’s office.

The reality is that crisis pregnancy centers (or what we tend to call “fake clinics”) are heavily biased and their main goal is to talk people out of having abortions. They’ve been known to give wrong and misleading information about how long you’ve been pregnant. They’ve been known to lie about how abortions can change future fertility or cause breast cancer.

Tactics they use:

• Over-emphasizing the dangers of abortion (when in fact science shows us that abortion is very very very safe and doesn’t have long term negative effects on physical or mental health)
• Presenting adoption as the best option for someone who doesn’t want to parent
• Promising money or other things like diapers if you choose to parent
• Calling you multiple times after you visit to come back for follow up appointments
• They often co-opted abortion clinics’ website designs and language to make it look like they’re the same, and are often right next door to actual medical providers and abortion clinics. Sometimes it’s even hard for us to tell right away!

You can see some of their lies and anti-abortion tactics first hand here and here.

How to spot a fake clinic

Typically, crisis pregnancy centers advertise free ultrasounds and are located in a church or their website only talks about prenatal care and adoption. You can check to see if the clinic you’re planning to go to is listed as a fake clinic so you’re prepared (and they aren’t just located in states with strict abortion bans, there are plenty in states like New York and California):

Why do people go to these fake clinics?

• They aren’t sure how long they’ve been pregnant which is making it hard to decide what type of abortion is right for them and the fake clinic offers free ultrasounds (learn how to calculate!)
• They aren’t totally sure they are pregnant and the fake clinic offers free pregnancy tests (note: dollar store tests are very accurate, see more below)
• They want to talk to someone to learn more about abortion options (Talk to someone at Reprocare)
• They aren’t sure if they want an abortion or not (Check out All-Options)

What should I know about “fake clinics” if I decide to go to one?

Where can I find better places to go for pre and post abortion care?

You’re already in the right place! Ineedana.com keeps a list of trusted medical providers who offer abortions. We also have a database of providers in heavily restricted states where you can get ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, post abortion care and miscarriage management without fear of judgment or threats.

If you go to your primary care provider or obgyn..

They can likely order an ultrasound for you if you really don’t know when your last period was or you’ve had some weird bleeding or think you’re still pregnant after an abortion. You do not need to tell them you are considering an abortion or had an abortion. You can simply call them or send a message on your patient portal to let them know you had a positive pregnancy test and have irregular periods or bleeding and want to know how many weeks pregnant you are or know if you had a miscarriage. After you get your ultrasound you don’t need to follow up with them further if you don’t want to.

Another alternative are Title X and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

They may not provide abortion care themselves, but they often provide free or very discounted care to people with and without insurance (just ask about financial assistance when you make the appointment).

And if you have questions about abortion before, during or after, reach out to the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline to talk with a volunteer doctor. Call or text (833) 246-2632

We want to acknowledge this isn’t fair or okay. You should be able to go to a trusted abortion clinic in your neighborhood to get accurate information but in the U.S. and especially in abortion restricted states, that’s not always an option. You absolutely deserve better. We will keep fighting for access but don’t forget that ineedana.com and the M+A Hotline always have your back <3