Why ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ will become California’s next abortion battleground

IN CALIFORNIA, LESS than two-thirds of counties have an abortion clinic. But nearly 80 percent have at least one “crisis pregnancy center,” according to a database compiled by CalMatters. 

Abortion rights advocates and lawmakers have long accused these centers — also known as anti-abortion centers — of coercing vulnerable people into remaining pregnant by misleading them about abortion procedures and contraceptive methods. In rural areas with acute primary care shortages, “crisis pregnancy centers” outnumber abortion clinics 11 to 2, a CalMatters analysis shows.