In an era that prides itself on “choice,” some choices are apparently more equal than others — at least in the eyes of liberal state governments. Across the country, a coordinated and aggressive assault is underway against crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) — the very institutions that offer women critical resources and information to make informed decisions about unexpected pregnancies. From Vermont to California, Washington State to New Jersey and even right here in Colorado, progressive lawmakers and state attorney generals are weaponizing government power to silence, shame and shut down those who dare to defend unborn life and support women.
These states claim to champion reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy and the empowerment of women. Yet, when a woman walks through the doors of a crisis pregnancy center seeking support, information about alternatives to abortion or even help reversing the effects of a chemical abortion, the full weight of the state is mobilized — not to support her, but to intimidate the center from offering her help.
Consider Vermont: In 2023, state lawmakers passed legislation aimed specifically at CPCs, accusing them — without evidence — of misleading women. The suggestion by Vermont lawmakers is that a CPC that does not offer the option of abortion can’t really be a crisis pregnancy center. The law restricts the speech of pro-life centers while turning a blind eye to the marketing and practices of abortion providers. Fortunately, following a lawsuit by a CPC against the state, lawmakers have amended the statute this past June, thus protecting the free speech of the CPCs.
In California, Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an investigation into Heartbeat International, an umbrella network of CPCs, demanding reams of internal documents and communications to prove claims of inadequate care. This is a classic fishing expedition, one that has little to do with consumer protection and everything to do with political persecution.
Likewise, in New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin created an entire task force targeting CPCs under the guise of protecting “reproductive rights.” Their supposed offense? Offering free ultrasounds, parenting classes and baby clothes. The state’s own language betrays its real motivation: they view pro-life counseling not as an exercise of free speech, but as a form of “disinformation.” The state has also requested information on all funding and donations provided to the CPCs, a clear violation of the Constitution’s protection of free association.
Meanwhile, in Washington state, the legislature passed laws allowing the Department of Health to issue consumer alerts about CPCs. The implication is clear: women are too fragile or gullible to discern whether they’re walking into a Planned Parenthood clinic or a pregnancy resource center. So, the state must intervene — not to promote informed choice, but to steer women in only one direction: abortion.
In Colorado, lawmakers have gone a step further. In 2023, the state passed Senate Bill 190, which prohibits licensed health care professionals from providing abortion pill reversal (APR) treatment—a progesterone protocol that has helped hundreds of women continue their pregnancies after taking the first dose of a chemical abortion. The law declares APR to be “unprofessional conduct,” punishable by a $10,000 fine per violation and potential loss of medical license. Currently, enforcement of the law is under a federal court injunction, but the message from the state is chillingly clear: choosing life is not an option we’re willing to tolerate.
This hostility is not based on science. The APR protocol is supported by peer-reviewed studies and has been safely administered to thousands of women. Yet states like California and Colorado have maligned the treatment — not because it’s dangerous, but because it undermines the abortion-only narrative. Again, the mantra of “choice” vanishes when the choice is life.
What’s behind this hostility? At root, it’s a radical pro-abortion ideology that cannot tolerate dissent. These states are not simply “pro-choice.” They are pro-abortion, full stop. Their vision of reproductive healthcare excludes any room for a mother to choose life with the support of a faith-based or community-run center. They have built an abortion-only ecosystem and are determined to stamp out anything that challenges it.
This is not about protecting women. It’s about protecting the abortion industry. Planned Parenthood and its allies receive millions in state government funding and wield massive political influence. CPCs, by contrast, are usually privately funded, volunteer-driven and rooted in churches and community organizations. Their effectiveness — and their moral clarity — poses a threat to the dominant narrative.
The double standard is glaring. If an abortion clinic were harassed in this manner — if its records were subpoenaed without cause, if its donors were named publicly, if its staff were accused of misinformation for counseling a patient — civil liberties groups would erupt in protest. But because CPCs are grounded in a pro-life ethic, they are treated as enemies of the state.
The war on crisis pregnancy centers must end. It’s time to call out this abuse of power for what it is: a systematic campaign to erase the pro-life movement from public life. Americans deserve better than one-size-fits-all reproductive policy. Women deserve real choices. And, to criminalize the compassion of crisis pregnancy centers is not only cruel — it is un-American.
Greg Schaller serves as the director of the Centennial Institute, the conservative think tank of Colorado Christian University. He has taught politics at CCU, Villanova University and St. Joseph’s University. He holds a B.A. in political science and history from Eastern University and an M.A. in political science from Villanova University.
