ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The state’s attorney general wants to make sure New Mexicans are safe as they seek reproductive healthcare. Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined an effort to help praise Yelp for telling consumers that ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’ (CPCs) do not always provide comprehensive care.
Attorneys general from 16 states wrote to Yelp in support of the tech company’s decision to notify users that CPCs may brand themselves as care providers but may only offer limited services. CPCs have appeared in communities around the U.S., but their presence can confuse consumers seeking reproductive healthcare as they offer things like ultrasounds but generally don’t offer legal abortion services.
Some CPCs don’t provide any healthcare services at all, Torrez’s office claims. And his office points to a study by The Alliance: State Advocates for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality which says CPCs outnumber abortion clinics in the U.S. by three-to-one.
CPCs have been challenged on allegations that they use what Torrez’s office calls “unethical methods to lure pregnant people.” And Torrez’s office says some CPCs are known to “provide those who visit with inaccurate and deceptive information about reproductive health.”
“Those seeking safe and essential reproductive healthcare, especially when facing a crisis, deserve to know what is available and what is not,” Torrez said in a press release. “The severe restrictions on accessing these types of healthcare services only add to the importance of ensuring consumers have accurate information. If CPCs are allowed to continue to mislead individuals and families who are facing a crisis, it will have catastrophic consequences.”
To find more information about legitimate reproductive care in New Mexico, you can visit the New Mexico Department of Health’s website or call the New Mexico Reproductive Health Hotline at 1-833-76-REPRO (1-833-767-3776).
