Why is the Minnesota Daily promoting Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs)? These deceptive businesses collect taxpayer money while purposely misleading pregnant people and others seeking affordable healthcare. On at least three occasions in the past month, ads for Abria Pregnancy Resources have been prominently featured by the Daily, including under a “Health and Wellness Spotlight.”

Abria offers the opposite of health and wellness. An anti-choice CPC located in Minneapolis, they are rarely staffed by trained medical professionals and they purposefully provide inaccurate information, often in the form of fake ultrasounds, to deter pregnant people from getting an abortion. They spread lies that abortion causes cancer, infertility, and depression. They shame patients for their sexual histories and promote abstinence-only education. Most CPCs are run by wealthy right-wing Evangelical organizations that are not subject to HIPAA and collect patient information in unsecure databases.

Last year, Attorney General Keith Ellison warned that CPCs are “private organizations that seek to prevent people from accessing abortion care as well as contraceptives.” Minnesota State funding for these fake clinics was revoked from the budget in January 2024. Unfortunately, they remain eligible for federal funding.

Why is the MN Daily complicit in spreading misinformation about something as crucial as healthcare? Educate and protect yourself. If you need affordable reproductive care, avoid these clinics: Abria, Birthright, First Care, Tandem Family Resource Center, Women’s Life Care Center, and Options for Women. For a full list of current CPCs in your area, consult crisispregnancycentermap.com.

To find legitimate, affordable reproductive healthcare, visit ourjustice.net/clinics. 

Ann Ewoldt is a Minnesotan concerned about the spreading of misinformation about reproductive healthcare that harms everyone but especially vulnerable populations.