It’s been nearly three years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, opening the gates for stricter abortion bans and setting new limits to healthcare access across the U.S. With the shifts to the landscape of abortion access, Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) have positioned themselves as go-to resources for pregnant people. But to be clear: CPCs are never what they seem and are deceptive by design.
CPCs take on the false perception of supportive spaces that offer “nonjudgement” help. However, they are pivotal players in the anti-abortion movement, using their proximity to wealth and power to mislead abortion seekers and block access to comprehensive reproductive care. The political power and deep funding of the global network anti-abortion movement is exemplified in the fall 2024 campaign for 40 Days of Life, which culminated in a new president pardoning two dozen anti-abortion extremists.
At the end of last year, NCRP used some of our early findings into philanthropies’ investments in CPCs and shared what’s happening, their rise, their money, and their harmful tactics. So, we could better understand the threats to abortion access and what role the sector can play in supporting abortion seekers.
The Growth of CPCs
Between 2018 and 2022, CPCs experienced explosive growth. Their revenue jumped nearly 30%, adding over 130 new locations nationwide. By 2021, they collectively raked in a staggering $1.2 billion.
To put that in perspective, $1.2 billion could pay for prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum services for nearly 69,000 uninsured pregnant people. Instead, this money goes toward spreading anti-abortion propaganda, not actual healthcare.
Where’s the Money Going?
Considering the funding that CPCs receive from the state and the sector, they rarely deliver actual medical care. The average cost of prenatal and postpartum services is expensive, averaging $20,000 or more, but CPCs are prioritizing manipulation over meaningful support. We urge funders to imagine what resources could exist if they were redirected towards real medical care and practical support organizations. Instead, CPCs are using philanthropic dollars to mislead and coerce people into continuing pregnancies.
The Playbook: Fear, Racism and Faith
CPCs thrive on deception, using a combination of fear, racism and faith to sway vulnerable people.
- Fear: CPCs exaggerate abortion risks while ignoring the very real dangers of carrying a pregnancy to term, especially in maternal health deserts. They’ll throw out debunked claims about abortion causing infertility or mental health issues, banking on confusion to push their agenda.
- Racism: They frequently position themselves as saviors, claiming to address racial disparities in maternal health, while refusing to provide real medical care or access to abortion. By co-opting culturally significant imagery, such as the legacy of Black midwives, and promoting harmful stereotypes about family structures in communities of color, CPCs perpetuate systemic racism while advancing their political goals. This approach manipulates and marginalizes the very communities they claim to support
- Faith: Emotional manipulation is their bread and butter. The “ultrasound persuasion” tactic, for example, relies on the claim that seeing an ultrasound makes 80% of people “choose life.” It’s a guilt trip dressed up as care.
CPCs vs. Abortion Providers
While the other side is sustained beyond reason, actual frontline abortion providers and independent clinics are fighting to keep their doors open. From 2020 to 2021, abortion providers saw a bump in funding, a likely result of rage-giving, but even that is minor in comparison. CPCs earned nearly eight times more revenue in 2021—$2.8 billion versus $236 million.
This isn’t just a funding gap; it’s a systemic issue. CPCs are surpassing abortion providers in resources while weaponizing their wealth to block access to real healthcare.
Despite CPCs portrayal that they are led by healthcare experts and professionals, think again. Many are run by people with political or religious motives with absolutely no medical training. These leaders use CPCs as tools to push anti-choice agendas, not to help pregnant people make informed decisions.
And it doesn’t stop at their ultrasound buses or diaper closets. CPCs are deeply involved in political campaigns, spending millions to oppose abortion rights initiatives in states like Florida and South Dakota. Between 2016 and 2022, they raised over $1 billion to combat abortion protections. Their scare tactics, like falsely claiming abortion protections would lead to unsafe, illegal procedures are designed to confuse voters and destroy reproductive access.
What Now?
CPCs have built an empire on misinformation, while independent clinics and practical support organizations are left struggling to provide actual services and care.
No matter one’s personal stance on abortion access, funding for reproductive health should always prioritize access to accurate, comprehensive, and confidential care from transparent, trustworthy service providers.
The sector needs to intentionally fund abortion with all circumstances considered, including the work of fighting against anti-abortion groups, to secure access and sustain those leading the work.
This is about more than healthcare—it’s about autonomy, dignity, and justice. We can’t let CPCs keep silencing people’s voices and choices. The stakes are too high.
Brandi Collins-Calhoun is a Movement Engagement Manager at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). A writer, educator and reproductive justice organizer, she leads the organization’s Reproductive Access and Gendered Violence portfolio of work.
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