Disclaimer: A crisis pregnancy center is a fake clinic created and run by people who are anti-abortion, who use deceitful tactics to dissuade pregnant women from having an abortion. These clinics advertise medical services that they do not actually perform, and sometimes dangerously give false medical information to women about their bodies in order to further a political agenda. This article is not pro-abortion, and should not be taken that way. If you think you may be pregnant, please see the resources at the bottom of this page to ensure that you receive appropriate medical care.
Recently, it has come to the attention of the Her Campus team that there is a crisis pregnancy center operating on campus one day a week. The name in itself should tip you off to the ambiguity of health practices that are being provided for our students by this center. Immediately, upon entering the website for ‘A Woman’s Place’ my eyes were drawn to the first proclamation on the page:
“Are You Pregnant?
Basically you have three options abortion, parenting, or adoption. “
Okay, fair enough, but let’s dig a little deeper. As of the last week of January, their website stated that 53 percent of women of child bearing age had experienced abortion. That statistic has been taken off the site, and has been replaced on a page that says: How common is abortion—
- One out of every 4 pregnancies conceived in the United States is terminated through abortion (about 1.2 million per year).
- In more than 14 metropolitan areas, abortions outnumber live births.
This data seemed out of place to me, so I did some fact checking– the information I will now provide for you was taken from the Center for Disease Control’s Abortion Surveillance Report (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6410a1.htm?s_cid=ss6410a1_e ,2012).
“A total of 699,202 abortions were reported to CDC for 2012. Of these abortions, 98.4% were from the 47 reporting areas that provided data every year during 2003–2012.”
Now, I’m not a math whiz, but I do know that the actual number from the most recent CDC survey is only 58.3 percent of the number of abortions that this website is claiming happen per year. You may be thinking—but Katie, that information is four years old, how do you know the numbers haven’t almost doubled in percentage since then? Here is another statistic from a legitimate source I found:
“Among the 47 areas that reported data every year during 2003–2012, the notable decreases that occurred during 2008–2011 in the total number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions continued from 2011 to 2012 and resulted in historic lows for all three measures of abortion.”
What about the number of abortions outnumbering live births? Well that information is totally bogus, too.
“These same 47 areas had an abortion rate of 13.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years and an abortion ratio of 210 abortions per 1,000 live births”
So, what’s the point of throwing all of these numbers at you? We want to emphasize that there are actual medical professionals available to help you sort through actual information. A doctor can help you come to an informed decision about what is actually right for you. It can be traumatizing or even physically dangerous to recieve incorrect information about your body, especially if you may be pregnant. Abortion may not be the answer for you, but you should only seek out an actual doctor for medical advice. If you know you want to keep your baby, then please seek out help from the many sources willing to provide assistance. I am not advocating for or against abortion. I’m advocating for informed decision making; after all, that is what higher education is all about.
Here are some red flags that indicate you may have found yourself in a crisis pregnancy center:
- They advertise abortion related services heavily– due to the threat of pro-life extremism, many clinics that perform abortions do not advertise abortion services.
- They advertise confidential services–any real medical professional already abides by HIPAA and will never give out your medical information, and has no need to advertise that- it’s the law.
- Their advertisements use language like “Pregnant and scared?” or “Pregnant? Call for counselling today.”
- They offer free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds.
- They downplay or blatantly lie about the effectiveness of contraception, emphasizing abstinence.
If you’re wondering if you’ve come across a crisis pregnancy center and aren’t sure, call and ask if they refer for abortions. A legitimate medical professional might be hesitant to refer you, but will do so in order to ensure you will undergo a safe procedure. If the clinic you’ve called says that they do not refer abortions, begin to try to discuss with you the dangers of abortions, or try to dissuade you from getting an abortion, you’ve found a crisis pregnancy center.
Below is a picture of an advertisement for a crisis pregnancy center.
If you think you might be pregnant, we recommend:
The USF Student Health Services Clinic
http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/student-health-services/
Call 813-974-2331 or make an appointment online http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/student-health-services/services/appointments.aspx
The Wellness Center on USF Tampa Campus
http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/wellness-education/health-topics/sexual-health.aspx
Planned Parenthood- Tampa Bay
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/florida/tampa/33617/tampa-health-center-2247-90300
All Women’s Health Center of Tampa, Inc
All Women’s Health Center of Tampa
3330 West Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33609
813-874-0505
Toll-Free 1-800-736-0505
All Women’s Health Center of North Tampa, Inc
14498 University Cove Place
Tampa, FL 33613
813-978-1919
Toll-Free 1-800-733-7907