Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Understanding Services, Support, and Medical Expansion

A crisis pregnancy center is an organization that offers advice and resources related to pregnancy, but does not recommend, refer or provide abortions. These anti-abortion pregnancy resource centers in Kansas and Missouri provide counseling to people to continue pregnancies. The counseling provided encourages people to continue their pregnancies instead of getting abortions. According to Missouri’s Department of Social Services, these centers "encourage women to carry their pregnancies to term by offering pregnancy testing and counseling with emotional and material support."

Material Support and Grace’s Closet

The Acadiana Pregnancy Center & Clinic (APCC) offers material support to its clients through its boutique-style pantry, called Grace’s Closet, which provides a neat shopping experience. Clients earn Baby Boutique Bucks to shop for baby supplies in Grace’s Closet through classes at APCC. Clients depend on the resources in Grace’s Closet to help them provide for their babies. Some of these centers provide pregnancy tests and supplies for new parents, like diapers and baby clothes. They may require clients to attend classes or workshops in order to obtain these free items. These classes can include religious elements, as many centers are affiliated with religious groups.

Medical Services and Ultrasounds

If you received a positive pregnancy test and your results are confirmed, an ultrasound is needed. Ultrasounds provide crucial information about your health, well-being, and options for your pregnancy in the decision process. They offer so much information about pregnancy and offer free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds. However, many centers offer only limited ultrasounds that cannot be used for diagnosing fetal anomalies because the people conducting them don't have that training.

Pregnancy centers in the U.S. that discourage women from getting abortions have been adding more medical services. The expansion — ranging from testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections to even providing primary medical care — has been unfolding for years. It gained steam after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, clearing the way for states to ban abortion.

Regulation and Facility Oversight

Is a crisis pregnancy center a licensed and regulated medical facility? In most cases, no. Missouri’s definition of a "pregnancy resource center" does not require that it perform medical services or register with the state health department. Crisis pregnancy centers are not among the over 30 types of medical and health-related facilities that the state regulates with monitoring and inspections. Medical professionals who work at such centers must hold their own medical licenses, but the other employees and the centers themselves do not need licenses.

Some crisis pregnancy centers employ medical professionals to perform limited medical services, while others are staffed entirely by counselors without medical training. Because most of the centers don't accept insurance, the federal law restricting release of medical information doesn't apply to them, though some say they follow it anyway.

Regional Locations and Availability

Crisis pregnancy centers in the Kansas City area include several notable organizations. Below is a summary of centers and operating hours for the Acadiana Pregnancy Center & Clinic.

Liberty Women’s Clinic offers pregnancy testing, options counseling, limited obstetrical ultrasound, STI testing and treatment, and referrals to social, medical, adoption and other agencies. The staff is absolutely wonderful and will treat you like family! It felt good to know that I was not alone and that I had a great support team available to help in any way that I needed.