Crisis pregnancy centers state funding surges in 2023 post Dobbs decision

_{By: Michaela Herbst}

In 1970 the first crisis pregnancy center (CPC) was founded by Robert Pearson in Hawaii. This was the first state to legalize abortion in the United States.

According to the Columbia Law Review, Pearson created the manual, "How to Start and Operate Your Own Pro-Life Outreach Crisis Pregnancy Center."

He outlined a phone script which uses deceptive tactics to trick people into coming to their center by avoiding the question if they will help with abortion care.

Of those, 68 have been enacted into law – channeling $1.5 billion to these controversial agencies since 2017.

In 2018, funding allocated towards crisis pregnancy centers was $1.16 billion. This was due to committee appropriation and general funding bills for states.

Of those enacted, the bills within the general fund are called the "alternatives to abortion program." This program is said to "help alternatives to abortion agencies reach pregnant women at risk for having abortions."

While there are some states that are funding crisis pregnancy centers, others are trying to regulate their deceptive trade practices. There are 109 bills introduced trying to regulate these centers and nine of these bills were enacted since 2017.