Salem News | Abortion fight shifts to 'pregnancy crisis’ centers

By Christian Wade
Story originally appeared in The Salem News

BOSTON — Pregnancy crisis centers have emerged as the latest battleground in abortion access following the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning federal protections.

The centers, which advertise free services and counseling for women struggling with unplanned pregnancies, have proliferated in the wake of the high court’s decision overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

But women’s reproductive rights advocates like Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of the group Reproductive Equity Now, argue that the pregnancy centers are funded by anti-abortion groups with a singular purpose: “to stop pregnant people from accessing abortion care.”

“Crisis pregnancy centers, or fake clinics, are dangerous facilities that use deceptive advertising to deceive pregnant people into believing that they provide abortion care, when in reality, many do not even have doctors on staff to discuss the full range of health care options with clients,” she said.

State leaders have also taken notice of the proliferation of the crisis centers in the week of the high courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Two weeks ago, Attorney General Maura Healey issued a consumer advisory warning patients seeking reproductive health services about “the limited and potentially misleading nature of the services provided by crisis pregnancy centers.”

The advisory noted that most crisis pregnancy centers are not licensed medical facilities and do not have licensed doctors and nurses on staff

“While crisis pregnancy centers claim to offer reproductive healthcare services, their goal is to prevent people from accessing abortion and contraception,” Healey said in the advisory. “We want to ensure that patients can protect themselves from deceptive and coercive tactics when seeking the care they need.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Cambridge, said she is considering legislation to require pregnancy centers to provide upfront disclosures to prospective patients about what services they do offer, such as counseling not to get abortions. She notes that the centers outnumber abortion providers by more than 3 to 1 in the state.

Hart Holder said the centers are already causing harm, particularly in minority communities that already face systemic barriers to accessing reproductive care.

“In a post-Roe America, we need to ensure people know how to navigate legitimate, unbiased reproductive health care,” she said.

Some communities are moving to limit or ban pregnancy centers amid complaints that they are offering using deceptive advertising and providing misinformation.

But anti-abortion groups say pregnancy centers are providing options to women other than abortions and being unfairly targeted by proponents of the procedure.

“Unfortunately, what we’re seeing instead is an unprecedented attack on pregnancy centers from some members of our government,” said Andrew Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Family institute, a conservative group.

The group says it has documented acts of vandalism and intimidation at pregnancy centers across the state amid outrage over the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“This violence is disturbing, but it should not be a surprise,” he said. “Abortion itself is a horrific act of violence, and its proponents are seething with rage from their recent defeat at the Supreme Court.”

Abortion is legal in Massachusetts under a 2020 law, but advocates say the state will become a destination for women coming from other states that have banned the procedure or tightened their laws following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

State leaders have taken steps to shield providers and patients from potential lawsuits filed by groups of other states where abortion is now restricted.

But advocates say the state needs to intervene to prevent crisis pregnancy centers from proliferating as more women come to Massachusetts seeking abortions.

“These fake places are not healthcare organizations,” Dr. Jennifer Childs-Roshak, president & CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. “They not only give patients false information, but dangerous information.”

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@northofboston.com.