Hope Pregnancy Center is one of thousands of crisis pregnancy centers across the country offering limited family planning assistance under the guise of anti abortion advocacy.
by Deesarine Ballayan
It’s 7:30 a.m. on Super Bowl Sunday at Greater Exodus Baptist Church. The pews are sprinkled with elders singing together with the worship team and a piano player hitting the keys so softly it’s hard to hear in the ornate stone church.
The church on Broad Street near Ridge Avenue strives to “bring people to Jesus Christ and Membership in His Family to Develop them to Christ-like Maturity to equip them for their Ministry in the Church and Life,” according to its mission statement.
Next door, in a low-rise building with deep-tinted windows and doors is one of the church’s service arms: the Hope Pregnancy Center, where women can walk in for a pregnancy test and leave being discouraged from getting an abortion.
Hope is one of thousands of crisis pregnancy centers across the country offering limited family planning assistance under the guise of anti-abortion advocacy.
“If the patient is abortion-minded or what we like to call ‘abortion vulnerable’ we can usually fit them in on their first visit, ” said Latrice Booker, the center’s director. “We call after 30 days to confirm that they’ve set up their first prenatal exam.”
The center offers no-cost self-testing, “limited ultrasounds,” and bags full of pamphlets on how to apply for food stamps and medical assistance. The only medical staff on site is a part-time volunteer nurse.
In 2021, there were about 3000 crisis pregnancy centers throughout the country serving roughly two million women, men, and youth, according to the Lozier Institute.
A 2024 study by Journal of Medical Internet Research found about six-in-ten women of child bearing age lived within 15 miles of both a crisis pregnancy center and an abortion provider, while more than one-quarter lived with 15 miles of just a crisis pregnancy center. Hope is 2 miles away from the nearest Planned Parenthood in Center City.
Tara Murtha, the Director of Impact and Engagement at the Women’s Law Center and co-author of a study on crisis pregnancy centers said they outnumbered abortion care clinics by three to one in the country and nine to one in Pennsylvania.
In Pennsylvania, abortion is available through the 23rd week of pregnancy and in some cases after if it poses serious health risks or threatens the life of the pregnant person.
Hope Pregnancy Center opened in 2009, Booker said, aligned with Greater Exodus’ belief in supporting patients at each stage of their life. Greater Exodus is connected to the nonprofit People for People, which operates a charter school and early childhood development center.
The center’s website is filled with stock photo images of attractive women of color. Testimonials on the website call the center “ a beacon of hope” and “warm and welcoming.”
About 30 to 40 women monthly visit the Hope Pregnancy Center for pregnancy testing, Booker said.
“Our patients are often experiencing a wave of emotions when they come to us and we want to make sure that we provide an environment where they don’t feel pressured but supported,” Booker said.
In 2018 The Supreme Court ruled that these centers are not required to give out information on ending pregnancies.
After a phone call with someone who works in the center, patients can expect a preliminary 45 to 60 minute visit, Booker said. The initial appointment with the center is to confirm pregnancy and counsel women about their options.
The second visit is typically when the center’s nurse does a limited ultrasound. This is when the nurse can check for viability, provide a picture of the fetus, and measure it.
The center also offers referrals to physicians for abortion pill reversals, Booker said. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, this practice is unproven by science and unethical to practice.
Murtha said what these centers offer has no relation to medical care.
“Anti-abortion unregulated pregnancy centers are not medical facilities. End of story,” Murtha said.
Murtha said it’s not always clear to those seeking help what the difference is between a crisis pregnancy center and actual medical care providers.
“The problem is the medicalized marketing model,” she said. “ It’s the deception that is harmful.”
Booker was especially proud of the center’s unfinished basement filled to the brim with donated diapers, baby clothes and carseats, which are given to clients in need.
But Murtha said that these centers use diapers, baby clothes and car seat giveaways to justify influencing a woman’s decision to keep their baby.The Hope Center often host events, like the screening of “MAAFA 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America,” in partnership with the Greater Exodus Baptist Church, which gives a negative spin on the impact of abortion in the Black community.
Reverend Lusk III uses his pulpit and resources to fight against abortion. He said his peers are too afraid to preach about abortion and often do not connect abortion to murder.
“I chose to tackle sin as a whole,” Lusk said. “ If I can preach about police brutality I should also preach about abortion.”