"Crisis pregnancy centers" attempt to give the appearance of a qualified medical facility even though they are not licensed to provide medical services. People are led to believe CPCs provide abortion services or referrals for care, often unaware of their implicit anti-abortion and anti-birth control position.
Planned Parenthood of New York City has heard from patients who have accidentally gone to a CPC thinking they were at a Planned Parenthood of New York City health center where they could access health care. This summer, a PPNYC patient was told by an EMC Bronx representative that having an abortion would cause her to “bleed out and fall into a coma.” The patient said that when she asked if she was at Planned Parenthood she was told she was.
PPNYC has identified the five worst tactics that these anti-abortion facilities across the city use to mislead people, partially based on feedback PPNYC has received from patients.
After advocacy by patients, providers, and advocates and media coverage, the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs has issued a $1,500 fine to EMC Frontline (EMC), an anti-abortion facility. This is the first fine that the City has sustained against a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) under Local Law 17, which provides protections to inform New Yorkers what services they can expect they will and will not receive at a crisis pregnancy center! But it's not enough. No one deserves to be lied to or shamed about their health care decisions.
Here are two ways you can help expose crisis pregnancy centers in NYC!
1. File a Complaint: File a complaint with NYC's Department of Consumer Affairs if you see a CPC that does not have the required disclosures posted. Note: We've literally never seen one post the correct required disclosures.
2. Share Your Story: If you have gone to a crisis pregnancy center by accident thinking you were accessing a legitimate health care provider, share your experience with us if you're comfortable. Personal stories are a powerful tool to expose what is actually happening at these anti-abortion facilities. Email [email protected].