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Chances are, if you live in Fort Collins, you have likely seen the Alpha Center on South College Avenue. Though it may not be obvious from its generic name or unassuming exterior, the Alpha Center is a facility that claims to offer services to pregnant people, specifically individuals experiencing unplanned pregnancies. 

You may assume that the Alpha Center is similar to Planned Parenthood, an accredited reproductive clinic that provides well-rounded, compassionate care to pregnant individuals, including abortion services and prenatal treatment. However, this could not be further from the truth. In reality, the Alpha Center is one of many illegitimate and extremely dangerous crisis pregnancy centers in the United States.

Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities that pose as reputable reproductive health clinics but are actually run by religious, anti-abortion groups. CPCs advertise services like free pregnancy tests, counseling and preabortion ultrasound screenings. They advertise these services to lure in people with unplanned pregnancies, often using fear and shame tactics to pressure them into specific reproductive choices, including discouraging them from having an abortion.

“To those who do not understand CPCs, the Alpha Center may appear trustworthy at first glance. However, it is essential to examine these clinics closely to identify any possible indicators of bias.”

CPCs are often founded in response to the opening of a real reproductive health clinic. They are frequently found in very close proximity to clinics like Planned Parenthood, using advertisements and face-to-face interactions to dissuade pregnant people from seeking proper reproductive care. They do so by making statements like, “We can help you,” or offering “abortion education,” among other persuasion techniques. Although many CPCs carefully curate a supportive, empowering image, their agenda is anything but prowomen.

Employees of these facilities pose as reliable medical professionals and counselors to gain the trust of their clients. They then leverage that trust to manipulate people into making reproductive choices that match their agenda. Their only true goal is to encourage a Christian, anti-abortion ideology, and they are often willing to inflict extreme shame and trauma upon pregnant women to continue to spread their propaganda.

While it may be hard to differentiate between a reputable reproductive health clinic and a crisis pregnancy center, there are some essential details to look for when evaluating the legitimacy of a clinic. First and foremost, reputable clinics do not widely advertise abortion services, while CPCs rely heavily on advertisement to bring in clientele. Any clinic that markets itself through signage and paid advertisements in community literature is more than likely a CPC.

Additionally, CPC websites and employees tend to use very extreme language when discussing abortion services, focusing heavily on the risk of regret, potential side effects of abortion procedures — many of which are untrue or unlikely — and possible long-term damage that abortion procedures can cause, most of which is also fabricated.

CPCs also commonly give false medical information to their clients, including showing graphic and inaccurate pictures of abortion procedures. Many even lie to clients about their fetus’ gestational age to convince them that they are out of the legal window for an abortion in states with gestational-age-based abortion restrictions. All of these practices are disgustingly exploitative of pregnant people in a very vulnerable position, and while they are somehow not technically illegal, they are beyond unethical.

The Alpha Center possesses many of the classic indicators of a biased and predatory clinic. It frequently advertises to CSU students without being transparent about its agenda, even placing advertisements in university literature. Its website uses subtle anti-abortion language without disclosing its staunchly anti-abortion beliefs, and it only discloses its religious affiliation in small text at the very bottom of the website. 

To those who do not understand CPCs, the Alpha Center may appear trustworthy at first glance. However, it is essential to examine these clinics closely to identify any possible indicators of bias. While the Alpha Center is currently the only CPC in Fort Collins, there are several others in Northern Colorado. The Resource Center in Greeley and Life Choices in Loveland and Longmont are also CPCs that function very similarly to the Alpha Center, among many others in the NoCo area. These fake clinics push the same anti-abortion agenda while hiding their true religious and political affiliations, and none are trustworthy.

Every individual has the right to supportive, unbiased reproductive care. Crisis pregnancy centers infringe upon those rights. It is essential that every person can identify the signs of a CPC so that they can avoid the shame and trauma that those facilities inflict upon their patrons. Crisis pregnancy centers do not care about you, your well-being or your pregnancy. They exist to take advantage of vulnerable individuals to push an agenda, and they do not deserve any patronage or support.

Reach Astrid Thorn at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.