An NC woman thought she was getting medical help in a Charlotte “crisis pregnancy center.” Instead, she found it to be a faith-based office that was attempting to convince her not to get an abortion.
Taylor Shelton thought she was walking into a Charlotte pregnancy resource center for medical help and an abortion referral. Instead, she says, she left feeling shamed and misled—and learned later the center was a “crisis pregnancy center.”
Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities that present themselves as medical clinics, but are often faith-based and largely unregulated—despite being funded with taxpayer dollars.
Read More: ‘They knew I wanted an abortion’: What she got instead at a ‘crisis pregnancy center’ in NC
North Carolina lawmakers are currently debating House Bill 522, the Crisis Pregnancy Center Fraud Prevention Act, which would crack down on deceptive advertising and give the state attorney general the ability to investigate centers accused of misleading patients. Advocates say Taylor’s story underscores why change is needed and why the stakes for pregnant patients are higher than ever.
Courier’s Jessica F. Simmons explains.
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