The Brazen Project

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A New Era Colorado Initiative

Unapologetically pro-abortion

We’re here to #SmashTheStigma around abortions on college campuses across Colorado. Ending the stigma starts with talking about abortion care boldly and without shame. We create safe spaces to start, facilitate, and continue conversations about abortion with young people on college campuses and through educational events. We believe anyone who wants or needs an abortion should be able to get one—for any reason, in an affordable and timely manner, without guilt or shame, and no matter who they are or where they’re from. We’re fighting for a world where abortion is universally accessible and acceptable.

Anti-Abortion Centers

Anti-abortion centers, also known as “fake clinics,” “crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs),” and “anti-abortion counseling centers (AACC)s”, are anti-abortion nonprofits that present themselves as licensed family planning and/or reproductive healthcare clinics (we’ll be using these terms interchangeably). In reality, these centers exist to dissuade pregnant people from seeking an abortion. They use deceptive advertising to get folks looking for abortion services in the door, then proceed to provide patients with biased counseling and inaccurate, unfounded information about abortion and contraception to delay and make it even more difficult to schedule an abortion.

Perhaps one of the most damaging tactics the centers use is to advertise the “abortion pill reversal,” a supposed treatment to stop the effects of a medical abortion. We know that the abortion pill reversal doesn’t work. A study conducted to examine the efficacy of this treatment was halted as multiple participants experienced excessive bleeding and were hospitalized. The treatment is not supported by science and is denounced by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. However, at least 23 Colorado anti-abortion centers still offer this dangerous and unfounded “abortion pill reversal.”

Don’t let them fool you: anti-abortion centers don’t give Coloradans the reproductive care they need.

Learn more from former Policy Manager Arianna Morales

Arianna (right) during her time leading The Brazen Project.
Deceptive Advertising

Anti-abortion centers’ advertising deceive potential patients by naming themselves similarly to credible abortion clinics, targeting people with unplanned pregnancies with language like “Help is just a phone call away,” and minimizing or obscuring disclaimers that name they actually don’t offer or refer abortion care.

Lured in by the vague messaging, people walk into these centers hoping to learn about comprehensive reproductive care options, only to find themselves facing biased counseling to steer them away from time-sensitive procedures. In a study done in 2021, 85% of participants could not correctly identify at least one crisis pregnancy center as an anti-abortion clinic by looking at their website. 

John Oliver on Crisis Pregnancy Centers
John Oliver on
Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Young People and Anti-Abortion Centers

Anti-abortion centers strategically position themselves near or on college campuses to target young folks who are looking for reproductive and sexual health care. These centers advertise themselves on college campuses and create student groups to reach young people who may be less likely to tell them apart from actual abortion providers. 

Working on campus, we heard time and time again that students didn’t know what a crisis pregnancy center was or how they operated. So we got to work educating students about the centers and raising awareness about their deceptive practices. That’s why in 2021, we passed legislation in partnership with student government at Metropolitan State University, Colorado State University Fort Collins, and the University of Colorado Boulder to condemn the actions of the centers and protect students’ safety. But the centers’ deceptive advertising permeates beyond campuses.

As more and more people seek abortion care in Colorado after the fall of Roe v Wade, no one should worry about unknowingly walking into the trap of an anti-choice crisis pregnancy center. It’s time to regulate the advertising of crisis pregnancy centers—and we’re ready for the fight. 

Check out the 2023 at the Legislature page and sign-up for our newsletter to follow our work to regulate anti-abortion centers’ advertising in 2023. 

If you have a story to tell about your experience with Crisis Pregnancy Centers, fill out this form!

Young People and
Anti-Abortion Centers

Anti-abortion centers strategically position themselves near or on college campuses to target young folks who are looking for reproductive and sexual health care. These centers advertise themselves on college campuses and create student groups to reach young people who may be less likely to tell them apart from actual abortion providers. 

Working on campus, we heard time and time again that students didn’t know what a crisis pregnancy center was or how they operated. So we got to work educating students about the centers and raising awareness about their deceptive practices. That’s why in 2021, we passed legislation in partnership with student government at Metropolitan State University, Colorado State University Fort Collins, and the University of Colorado Boulder to condemn the actions of the centers and protect students’ safety. But the centers’ deceptive advertising permeates beyond campuses.

As more and more people seek abortion care in Colorado after the fall of Roe v Wade, no one should worry about unknowingly walking into the trap of an anti-choice crisis pregnancy center. It’s time to regulate the advertising of crisis pregnancy centers—and we’re ready for the fight. 

Check out the 2023 at the Legislature page and sign-up for our newsletter to follow our work to regulate anti-abortion centers’ advertising in 2023. 

If you have a story to tell about your experience with Crisis Pregnancy Centers, fill out this form!

Resources
  • BLOG: “Improving Abortion Access and Moving Towards Reproductive Justice” – Arianna Morales, former policy manager at New Era Colorado and former advocacy lead organizer then regional advocacy manager with The Brazen Project
  • Colorado Abortion & Pregnancy Resource Map
    • Use the map to see which centers in your area provide legitimate, unbiased, medically accurate information about abortion and your reproductive and sexual health. Blue-medical symbols are abortion providers and caution-red symbols are anti-abortion centers.
  • Find a verified abortion provider!
    • Use this resource to help find a verified abortion provider to guarantee that you’re not unknowingly walking into a Crisis Pregnancy Center.