Inside the Anti-Abortion Movement’s Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Anti-abortion centers, sometimes known as a “crisis pregnancy center,” have existed in some form since the late 1960s, when Catholic activists first sought to counter the growing legalization of abortion in the United States. Established by faith-based organizations, anti-abortion centers exist primarily to dissuade people from having abortions. It’s one of approximately 3,000 such facilities across the country. In California, the Napa Women's Center is one of 170 such anti-abortion centers in the state.
Operational Tactics and Proximity
They often attract clients by opening in close proximity to abortion care clinics and by advertising reproductive health services, despite the vast majority operating without medical licensing. In Napa, it is no accident that an anti-abortion center operates right next to the city’s lone Planned Parenthood, in a state of uneasy tension, on one small city block. Connected by a 6-foot wooden fence, their facades are plain, and notably similar to the casual observer. But behind those doors lie two vastly different worlds. For a pregnant person seeking health care, the choice of which one to enter comes with potentially life-changing consequences.
The Role of Sidewalk Counseling
A woman named Teresa Conemac, a volunteer with the Christian anti-abortion organization 40 Days for Life, waits outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Napa. She performs what she and her fellow volunteers call “sidewalk counseling.” She talks to people approaching or exiting the clinic, and gives them pamphlets featuring widely debunked claims about the dangers of abortion and birth control. Conemac also tells them about resources at, and distributes cards for, the facility next door: the Napa Women’s Center, opened by the Christian nonprofit Napa Valley Culture of Life in 2020.
Services and Disseminated Information
No medical professionals work at this facility, but a visitor can take a free pregnancy test, learn about adoption agencies and pick up pamphlets that inaccurately link abortion to breast cancer, infertility, depression and death. Organizations like First Care Pregnancy Center provide similar services. All services are free and confidential; however, it is explicitly stated that First Care does not perform or refer for abortion.
Available Services Overview
- Pregnancy Testing & Verification
- Options Counseling
- Ultrasounds
- Abortion Pill Reversal
- STI Testing & Treatment
- Prenatal Classes
- Parenting Education & Support
- Community Resources & Referrals
- Adoption Services
- Post Abortion Healing
Center Locations and Contact Data
- Minneapolis: 2015 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 | Call: (612) 286-0076
- Richfield: 6517 Nicollet Ave, Richfield, MN 55423 | Call: (612) 866-7643
- Rochester: 40 16th St SE, Rochester, MN 55904 | Call: (507) 282-3377
- St Paul: 1706 White Bear Ave N, St Paul, MN 55109 | Call: (651) 730-4342
- University: 2900 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 | Call: (612) 623-8378