Crisis pregnancy centers are growing in the South. Many without state medical licenses

As abortion clinics close and face tighter restrictions across the South, a different kind of facility is expanding. Known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” or CPCs, these facilities often present themselves as providers of free pregnancy-related services, such as limited ultrasounds and pregnancy testing. But many of the centers are not state-licensed medical clinics and are primarily established to dissuade individuals from seeking abortions. Fueled in part by increased public funding after the fall of Roe v. Wade, these centers now outnumber abortion clinics six to one in the South — raising concerns. Public health experts say their use of medical language can mislead patients about the type of care they actually provide. AJC’s Mariana Castro looks at the spread of CPCs in Georgia and speaks with Andrea Swartzendruber, a public health researcher at the University of Georgia, who has mapped their growth nationwide. Credits: AJC | Crisis Pregnancy Center Map | Alpha Pregnancy Center | BFR Medical | Hope Women’s Center | Your Choice Resource Center | CareNet | Life Choices Medical Clinic | Safe Harbor Pregnancy Medical Center | Getty Images | NCRP | State of California Department of Justice | The Washington Post | The 19th | Ohio Capital Journal | Orlando Weekly | Times Union