Crisis Pregnancy Center

Have you ever seen those license plates that read "Choose Life" or something to that effect? Chances are the owner of that plate paid an extra fee to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles for the specialty plate. A portion of the fee paid for the plate was then probably put toward the state funding of crisis pregnancy centers. Currently, these only exist in 24 states and are in the process of being approved in the remainder of the states. So what are these CPCs, as they're sometimes abbreviated?

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CPCs are no one single thing. A crisis pregnancy center is a broad term used to describe a number of advocate organizations of pro-life, anti-abortion and conservative Christian ideologies. The centers are affiliated with numerous pro-life organizations, but the largest center affiliates are Care Net, Heartbeat International, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and Birthright International.

These crisis centers offer counseling to pregnant women with the intent of helping them come to terms with their pregnancy and choosing to forgo any alternative to seeing the pregnancy to term. Crisis pregnancy centers greatly outnumber abortion clinics in the United States. Although many of them do not offer medical services, some may have sonogram equipment or sell over-the-counter pregnancy tests. There have been a few lawsuits filed against crisis centers regarding their method of deceptive advertising. Some CPCs will advertise under the guise of being an abortion help clinic or medical clinic when the organization's true intent may be to convince women, who would expect the facility to be an abortion servicing or medical clinic, to not terminate their pregnancies. Many of these crisis pregnancy centers are funded by federal or state aid.

Many women considering abortion or those who are on the fence about their pregnancy options may want to seek the professional, nonjudgmental advice of a health care provider or therapist before proceeding with a decision as life-changing as an abortion, single-parenthood or adoption. By pursuing any pro-choice or pro-life advocate for information in a delicate frame of mind, women open themselves to the risk of feeling manipulated and regretting her decision later in life. When it comes down to it, a woman regardless of age or circumstance has the right to pursue and believe any information she wishes to.