American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG)

Issue Brief: Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Oct. 2022

“People seeking reproductive health care must have access to comprehensive, evidence-based, nonjudgmental health care and information from qualified professionals, regardless of whether they decide to continue a pregnancy or seek abortion care. It's important that people understand their options and know their resources—including how to recognize and avoid facilities, such as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), run by people who operate unethically and with the intention to dissuade, deter, or prevent them from seeking certain reproductive health care options.”

Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine & North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

A Joint Position Statement on Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the United States

Lack of Adherence to Medical and Ethical Practice Standards, Dec. 2019

• CPCs pose risk by failing to adhere to medical and ethical practice standards;

• Governments should only support health programs that provide accurate, comprehensive information;

• CPCs and individuals who provide CPC services should be held to established standards of ethics and medical care;

• Schools should not outsource sexual education to CPCs or other entities that do not provide accurate and complete health information;

• Search engines and digital platforms should enforce policies against misleading advertising by CPCs; and

• Health professionals should educate themselves, and young people about CPCs and help young people identify safe, quality sources of sexual and reproductive health information and care.

Medical News Today

What are crisis pregnancy centers? April 2023

• CPCs may give people the impression that they are medical clinics or have medical expertise even though they do not provide a full range of reproductive healthcare.

• Most CPCs also do not have licensed healthcare professionals on staff. However, staff may wear clothing suggesting otherwise.

• Religious ideologies take precedence over the health and well-being of people seeking reproductive healthcare. This means people may not receive comprehensive, accurate, and evidence-based clinical information about their options.

• CPCs promote anti-contraceptive and anti-abortion counseling and do not provide evidence-based information and treatment options according to accepted medical guidelines.