In the Name of the Mother: Renegotiating Conservative Women’s Authority in the Crisis Pregnancy Center Movement

Abstract

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Father Knows Best: “Protecting” Women through State Surveillance and Social Control in Anti‐Abortion Policy

“…Within these centers, largely female volunteers offer support and counsel to women facing an unplanned pregnancy to steer them away from abortion and toward motherhood (Ehrlich and Doan ; Kelly , ). CPC volunteers and staff embrace rigid gender roles, especially the construction of women as inherently maternal, anchored in their religious belief in a biological order of creation (Ehrlich and Doan ; Kelly ). Abortion is therefore viewed as inimical to women's interests because it severs the maternal‐child bond.…”

“…In the 1990s, key anti‐abortion activists began to center this construction of women as victims of abortion as a political framing strategy to argue that women needed information concerning pregnancy and abortion, as well as protection from the abortion providers who preyed on their ignorance for profit (Ehrlich and Doan ; Kelly ; Rose ; Siegel ). However, their initial effort to shift from a fetal‐centered framing to a woman‐centered one was met with resistance by many leaders, as well as rank and file members of the movement (Kelly ; Rose ). Although lingering tension remains, the movement has largely reconciled these narrative frames by emphasizing that “to effectively protect women, you must legally protect the unborn.…”

Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the U.S.: Lack of Adherence to Medical and Ethical Practice Standards

“…CPCs' primary mission is to dissuade pregnant women from considering abortion [4,6]. Other aims include religious proselytization and promoting sexual abstinence before marriage [10]. The centers offer free pregnancy tests and "pregnancy options" counseling with the aim of influencing individuals' pregnancy decisions [10,11].…”

“…Other aims include religious proselytization and promoting sexual abstinence before marriage [10]. The centers offer free pregnancy tests and "pregnancy options" counseling with the aim of influencing individuals' pregnancy decisions [10,11]. They often mimic health care centers by offering free limited medical services, such as limited obstetric ultrasounds and STI testing [4,6].…”

“…They often mimic health care centers by offering free limited medical services, such as limited obstetric ultrasounds and STI testing [4,6]. CPCs also provide information about sexual and reproductive health topics, and many offer resources (e.g., maternity and infant clothes and diapers) and programs (e.g., parenting classes) that support childbirth and the prospect of parenting [5,8,10]. CPC services are typically free of charge; however, receipt of material resources typically requires clients to participate in activities such as parenting classes, Bible studies, and abstinence seminars [5,10].…”