The problem with Spiritual Counseling

Last week, I took on the task of researching different Crisis Pregnancy Centers across the country. While I was looking at their websites I was shocked to find that almost every website told one lie or another. Most would say abortion causes grief or “flashbacks”, and more extreme websites would claim abortion takes you away from Jesus, causes breast cancer, infertility, suicidal thoughts, and more.

All of this was alarming, but I also noticed something else a little unsettling. Every CPC offered some type of spiritual counseling, and I began to wonder what exactly this meant. Some websites claim the counseling is one on one and includes bible study. After discovering this, I had yet another question; how would a young, scared woman react to this? How would she handle this religiously motivated counseling? The CPC does everything it can to lure young women in, the clinic itself is comfortable and the staff is welcoming. Someone who is unaware of what a CPC is may be confused and the volunteers at the center will take advantage of this. Counseling is just another way for a CPC to convince a young woman that the only choice is carrying the pregnancy to term. When clinics use religion and scare tactics as a weapon, they can win.

The young women who go inside a CPC’s doors may not know anything about birth control, abortion, or emergency contraception. So, the words of a friendly volunteer who preaches abstinence and adoption in the name of Jesus can sound like the right path. Furthermore, when a volunteer sits down and counsels a young woman, they are targeting them individually which can be more effective.

The more we expose these fake clinics and force them to reveal their true identities, the safer women will be. CPCs offer lies but they also offer dangerous counseling and manipulative methods of making people choose their way of life. To expose fake clinics near your campus, contact your campus organizer, and check out the FMF's Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics!