There are anti-abortion facilities located in Washington.
Sometimes called Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) or pregnancy resource centers, these facilities look like medical clinics or health centers offering pregnancy care but do not provide abortions or other sexual and reproductive health services.
- Most anti-abortion facilities are not medical clinics or do not have licensed medical professionals on staff.
- Usually, they don’t have to keep your information private or follow HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) guidelines – meaning they can tell others that you are seeking abortion care.
- They sometimes offer services like ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, counseling, sexually transmitted disease (STI) testing, or free pregnancy and parenting supplies. But they may not give information on all your pregnancy options, including abortion.
- They may pressure you to not have an abortion or give you misleading or false information.
- They may be located near real abortion clinics and try to lead patients away from a facility or clinic that offers abortion care.
Some anti-abortion facilities claim that a medication abortion can be reversed. However, there is no proof or research that shows abortion reversal works and it does not meet clinical standards (medical providers do not offer it).
How Do I Know if It’s an Anti-Abortion Facility?
To make sure you will get the care you need, contact the clinic directly. Questions you can ask might be:
- Does this clinic provide abortions?
- If you don’t provide abortion care yourselves, do you give referrals to a health care facility that can?
- If I come in for a visit, will I be seen by a licensed medical professional? If so, what kind of health care provider (doctor, nurse, midwife, etc.)?
- Does the center accept health insurance or Medicaid?
If they can’t answer these questions with simple answers like yes or no, or they seem like they are being confusing on purpose, they may be an anti-abortion facility.
If you seek abortion services, you can avoid anti-abortion facilities by locating them on the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map. The map shows the latest CPC locations in Washington but may not include all of them.
You can find trusted abortion clinics on our Find a Provider page.
Other Fake Abortion Information
Check any abortion information you find on social media or on the internet.
- Social media accounts may post false or misleading abortion information if they are not run by a trusted source.
- Some accounts may also post links to anti-abortion facilities.
- Your friends or family may give you false information on or from social media.
The best way to get accurate abortion information is to find a trusted health care provider and talk to them directly.
Report Anti-Abortion Facilities and Fake Information
You can report what you think might be an anti-abortion facility or fake abortion information online by filling out the Reproductive Rights Complaint Form on the Washington Attorney General website.