Anti-abortion centers and their leaders have been campaigning against the abortion ballot measures in 10 states in the lead up to Election Day. The organizations — also known as crisis pregnancy centers — have sought to remove those measures from state ballots and distributed materials with misleading talking points.
It’s a pattern that shows the increasing significance of anti-abortion centers, which are often religiously affiliated and publicly funded.
These facilities can resemble medical clinics, though they are not held to the same standards as actual health centers and have come under scrutiny for giving people inaccurate information to dissuade them from terminating their pregnancies. They also offer things such as free sonograms, pregnancy tests, parenting classes and diapers, which attracts clients whose options have diminished.
Since the fall of Roe v. Wade allowed states to ban abortion, anti-abortion activists have sought to expand these centers’ influence. Republican-led states have poured hundreds of millions of public dollars into supporting their work, and in some cases given them state contracts. National lobbies and some Republican lawmakers have touted the work of anti-abortion centers, arguing they should play a more meaningful role in providing social services for pregnant people, especially in states that have banned the procedure.