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May 19, 2012 |
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A crisis pregnancy center is a non-profit organization, generally established by Christian pro-life supporters, as a means of encouraging pregnant women not to have abortion|abortions. A center may be affiliated with a church, or it may operate as a parachurch organization. Church-affiliated centers are usually located off-site from the church in order to provide a non-intimidating setting. Depending on its size and resources, a center may provide the following services:
Some centers offer access to support groups for women suffering from post-abortion syndrome. Services are provided on a free and confidential basis to any woman, regardless of race, ethnicity, marital status, sexual orientation, or religion. (However, centers must report to the police any cases of statutory rape.) Crisis Pregnancy Centers have come under criticism for portraying themselves as medical facilities when they do not necessarily have professional licensing from State departments of health. Critics claim that the only purpose of these centers is to discourage women from chosing abortion. These centers cannot provide well-woman exams, prenatal care or medical treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. They do not provide prescriptions or refills for contraceptives, and do not hand out free condoms. Funding and resources are generally provided by churches, individuals and businesses who support the pro-life cause, matching gifts from employers, and grants. Some centers are members of United Way and receive designated gifts as well as a percentage of non-designated gifts. Some centers may receive federal funding; however, many centers refuse such funding, as they do not want the government to dictate what religious counseling they can or cannot provide to women in need. Fundraisers are often used as well. A center will have a director, who may be a full-time paid employee. Most staffing is provided by volunteers, the vast majority of whom are female. Heartbeat International and Care Net are two major organizations with national networks of crisis pregnancy centers in the United States (centers may be affiliated with either or both networks). These two organizations have teamed up to operate Option Line, a 24-hour telephone and web-based listing and referral service. Option Line can be contacted at 1-800-395-HELP (4357) or http://www.optionline.org/ www.optionline.org.
Category:Abortion This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Crisis pregnancy center".
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