By: Sofia Modica
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Walk into one of Florida’s nearly 200 crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) and you might think you’re in a legitimate medical clinic. Their lobbies look sterile and safe. The staff wear scrubs. There are pamphlets about prenatal health, ultrasounds, and parenting classes. But what they won’t tell you, at least not up front, is that these centers are often run by religious groups, do not employ licensed medical professionals, and exist solely to prevent women from accessing reproductive health services.
CPCs frequently present themselves as full-service medical clinics, yet many lack licensed medical professionals on staff. Their primary objective is not to offer unbiased medical advice but to steer women away from considering abortion. According to Planned Parenthood, these centers attract pregnant women into their offices under the false pretense of providing abortions or abortion information.
In Tampa Bay alone, there are over 20 such centers under names such as “Foundations of Life” and “A Woman’s Place.” These establishments market themselves as pregnancy care centers or pregnancy resource centers, yet their underlying mission is to deter individuals from seeking abortions.
The financial backing of these centers is a significant concern. The Florida Pregnancy Care Network administers funding for Florida’s alternatives-to-abortion program, funneling millions in taxpayer dollars to CPCs. In recent years, the program’s budget has increased exponentially from $4 million to $25 million annually – a shift that raises questions about fiscal responsibility and priorities.
Despite receiving substantial public funds, oversight of these centers is minimal. Reviews by the Miami Herald have revealed that the Florida Pregnancy Care Network “has not been conducting regular reviews of nonprofit tax filings or checking for federal tax debts.” For instance, Mary’s Pregnancy Resource Center in Broward County received over $2.2 million in taxpayer funds over a decade, despite failing to file required federal tax forms for at least three years. Such lapses in oversight allowed the center to continue receiving funds even when its tax-exempt status was temporarily revoked.
Many CPCs in Florida are overtly affiliated with religious organizations, primarily Christian ministries. The Catholic Charities arm of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, for example, received up to $800,000 in a single fiscal year for its four CPCs in Tampa Bay. This intertwining of state funds and religious missions raises constitutional questions, given that the Florida Constitution prohibits the use of state money to aid religious organizations.
While CPCs receive increasing financial support, legitimate reproductive health care providers face funding cuts. The Trump administration’s decision to freeze family-planning funds for Planned Parenthood exemplifies this trend, impacting essential services like birth control and cancer screenings for low-income individuals. This reallocation of resources undermines access to comprehensive reproductive health care, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
The lack of transparency and accountability in funding CPCs has prompted calls for investigations. United States Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland’s District 8 and Maxwell Frost of Florida’s District 10 have urged the Government Accountability Office to examine how these centers utilize federal funds, expressing concerns about their deceptive practices, misuse of taxpayer money, and lack of HIPAA requirements.
In essence, CPCs have built a system where they can say and do almost anything without consequences, and Florida is footing off the bill. Crisis pregnancy centers may frame themselves as a safe space for women in need, but behind the soft words and free ultrasounds is a network designed to push an anti-abortion agenda – often at the expense of truth, ethics, and public trust.
As Florida tightens restrictions on abortion and reproductive rights across the board, CPCs continue to multiply. And unless the public demands transparency and accountability, vulnerable women will keep walking into these centers unaware of the real reason they exist.