Connecticut representatives have proudly voiced their support for the protection of abortion rights in our state. When a conservative federal judge threatened to prohibit Mifepristone, Attorney General William Tong promised to “fight tooth and nail” to protect access. Chair of the CT Reproductive Rights Caucus Rep. Jillian Gilchrest declared: “We want to ensure that in the state of Connecticut, whether someone decides to have a child or not to have a child, they have access to the information and services they need to fulfill that decision.” Yet while CT lawmakers promote Connecticut as a safe harbor for abortion rights, subtle but influential groups spread anti-abortion propaganda to pregnant women and people at more than 37 locations statewide.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), also called “limited services pregnancy centers,” disguise themselves as non-profit organizations that provide support services to women facing unplanned pregnancies. In fact, they are operated by anti-abortion groups and aim to discourage visitors from seeking abortions by providing misleading, inaccurate information about abortion and contraception. CPCs have been denounced by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and in the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, and Planned Parenthood lists them as unethical violators of patient autonomy and confidentiality.

Despite the fact that CPCs do not align with professional care standards, the state-sponsored 211 directory includes 20 CPCs in its database as “pregnancy counseling” resources for CT residents. Connecticut 211 is a primary resource for people seeking reproductive healthcare and social services in our state. However, those using 211 to find medical or psychological support for personal reproductive decisions may not know that many services listed under “pregnancy counseling” are not legitimate medical centers, nor do they usually employ licensed counselors or medical professionals. Indeed, many of the CPCs listed on 211 advertise unscientific services and peddle lies. For instance, ABC women’s health on East Main in Middletown purports to offer abortions to women and pregnant people who arrive seeking care but admit themselves in their public review to offering only pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, parenting classes and abortion recovery but noticeably not abortions. Hope Pregnancy Center in Cheshire provides misleading information on its website about “post-abortion syndrome,” a term that the American Psychological Association (APA) rejects—yet both are listed on CT’s 211. In fact, research indicates “no evidence of emerging negative emotions over 5 years post abortion” and the APA concluded that the relative risk to mental health is no greater for a woman having a single, elective first-trimester abortion than for a woman who delivers that pregnancy.

CPCs first began with federal funding under the George W. Bush administration. They continue to reel in vulnerable people with offers of free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and counseling, or material assistance, such as baby clothes, diapers, and formula. Promising such services is part of a toolkit used to dissuade pregnant people against considering abortions. For example, Hope Pregnancy Center encourages women to confirm their pregnancy by getting an ultrasound before scheduling an abortion procedure—even though an ultrasound is not needed to confirm a pregnancy. This is an emotionally manipulative tactic used to confront clients with an ultrasound picture in hopes of pressuring them into continuing the pregnancy. Additionally, CPCs have been documented to give inaccurate estimates of the gestational age and to show ultrasound images of a fetus that is further along in gestation to convince people that it’s too late to abort. The American Public Health Association encouraged enforcing regulation, public education about, and ultimately the cessation of all public funding to CPCs.

It is disappointing that state funds are supporting the advertisement of crisis pregnancy centers peddling fake treatments and using intentionally predatory tactics to bully pregnant women out of abortions. As citizens, we at CTDSA urge our reps and senators to take action against the promotion of said services on 211. To that effect, CT democratic socialists are having a day of action happening October 8th hosted in Hartford, as well as via zoom, to continue work on this issue (https://bit.ly/3LHUy2u). Connecticut wants to be an abortion safe haven—but won’t be until we stop promotion of deceptive, religion-based organizations seeking to prevent residents from getting abortions.