Abortion advocates may be surprised to find out that in New York’s deep blue, crisis pregnancy centers are more common than abortion clinics. According to a coalition representing abortion rights groups, there are more than 120 crisis pregnancy centers in New York.
[[{“value”:”Anti-Abortion crisis pregnancy centers in deep-blue New York outnumber abortion clinics, which may surprise abortion rights advocates.
A coalition of state-based abortion rights organizations estimates that there are more than 120 such centers ( known as CPCs, though they also go by other names ) throughout New York, compared to a little over 100 in-person abortion providers. In places like New York—where abortion is legal through 24 weeks ‘ gestation, and lawmakers have enacted legislation protecting abortion access—CPCs are mainly nefarious: They lure struggling female people in with promises of financial and emotional support, and then constantly discourage them from obtaining abortions—often, in part, through health misinformation delivered mainly by volunteers, no medical professionals. They use so-called “abortion pill reversals,” which they falsely claim can stop an abortion in its tracks and allow a person to continue their pregnancy, as one of their favorite deceptive tactics.
On Monday, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced she is suing the anti- abortion group Heartbeat International—which claims to operate more than 3, 000 CPCs worldwide—and 11 other CPCs throughout the state for “using false and misleading statements” to “aggressively” advertise the so- called treatment, which involves taking repeated doses of progesterone—a hormone the body produces during pregnancy—after someone has taken mifepristone, the first of the two pills in the medication abortion regimen. ( Mifepristone blocks progesterone, and misoprostol, the second pill taken in a medication abortion, expels the pregnancy. ) Anti-abortion groups frequently highlight individual cases of people who allegedly followed this advice and were able to continue a pregnancy, and they frequently point out that the decision to try to “reverse” it was ultimately made despite research showing that the majority of people who have abortions believe it was the best choice.
However, as James ‘ office and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists point out, there is no scientific proof to support the claims that underlie the so-called “abortion pill reversal,” and a 2020 study that was postponed due to safety concerns after three patients experienced severe hemorrhaging were halted early due to safety concerns. More than 100 published studies, on the other hand, support the safe and effective use of abortion medications, including those that are prescribed remotely and mailed to patients. This directly refutes the false arguments that conservatives have made in a bid to severely restrict access to abortion medications, as I have previously refuted.
But none of this stops CPCs from claiming otherwise. Her office requests that the court order the CPCs to remove all false and deceptive claims from their promotional materials and pay civil penalties, citing James ‘ claim that their statements” constitute persistent fraud and illegality …and deceptive business and false advertising practices.” In a statement, James said that, in light of rising reproductive health restrictions post- Dobbs,” we must protect pregnant people’s right to make safe, well- informed decisions about their health”. The AG’s office has been sued by Heartbeat International and a group of CPCs, alleging that CPCs have been unfairly excluded because they provide abortion alternatives. The conservative Catholic legal group that represents the group pro bono, the Thomas More Society, asserts that the statements being litigated are free speech protected. ( Heartbeat does not operate all of the CPCs that James is suing, but those CPCs” all advertise or promote Heartbeat” and abortion pill reversal, according to a spokesperson for the AG’s office. )
The lawsuit serves as a reminder that pro-choice activists will do everything in their power to restrict access to abortion after Dobbs, even if it means spreading falsehoods about how and why people get abortions. The most recent instance of a Democratic Attorney General enforcing state law to combat CPCs is also noteworthy. In a consumer alert released in March, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes outlined how CPCs “may make deceptive statements about the services they provide or otherwise attempt to deceive patients in medically vulnerable situations.” In a lawsuit that also addressed the state’s Attorney General’s “fraudulent and misleading claims” regarding the so-called “abortion pill reversal, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Heartbeat International and a chain of five CPCs in the state in September. Additionally, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs announced that they would be issuing a consumer alert about CPCs in 2022. State attorneys general are uniquely positioned to take on CPCs, according to a note released in the Cornell Law Review in January, given their broad powers and extensive tools for filing lawsuits in public interest, as well as their significant positions in state governments, particularly those that have come after Dobbs.
Looking at the list of CPCs James is suing, it was jarring to see two located in New York City —one in Brooklyn, and one in Queens. In a 2022 article about CPCs in the city, Elizabeth Estrada of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice stated to the New York Times,” People believe there is no real need to advance or end stigma here.” ” But that’s not true, especially when we’re seeing so many crisis pregnancy centers proliferating”.
The National Council of Jewish Women New York, which oversees a state-wide campaign to track CPCs, has gotten away with spreading disinformation for far too long, according to Aviva Zadoff, director of advocacy and volunteer engagement. The 2022 Times report provides an example of the consequences, telling the story of a woman who visited a CPC in the Bronx—located across the street from a Planned Parenthood—for advice and wound up continuing her pregnancy, despite her hesitation and financial struggles, after CPC staffers promised her material support. But that never came through, she told the Times:” They would say they know somebody that could probably refer me somewhere, that could help me financially, diapers and stuff like that. But no one ever called me back.
These false promises, coupled with medical misinformation, are exactly why CPCs are so dangerous—even in places, like New York, that claim to protect abortion rights.
” When faced with an unplanned pregnancy”, Zadoff said, “everyone is entitled to judgement- free care and honest information”.”}]] Anti-Abortion crisis pregnancy centers in deep-blue New York outnumber abortion clinics, which may surprise abortion rights advocates. A coalition of abortion rights organizations in New York claims that there are more than 120 of these centers ( known as CPCs, though they also go by other names ) throughout the state, compared to a small number of other similar centers.
Abortion advocates may be surprised to find out that in New York’s deep blue, crisis pregnancy centers are more common than abortion clinics. According to a coalition representing abortion rights groups, there are more than 120 crisis pregnancy centers in New York.
– There is no set path to follow in life. Each person must create their own journey. It’s important to remember that challenges and obstacles are a natural part of the process. Embrace them and let them help shape who you are. Don’t be afraid to take risks and learn from your experiences.
