Here’s a stunning fact: right now, there are 60 anti-choice Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Colorado, 15 in the Denver area alone. And let’s be clear: these centers are not about health care

Crisis Pregnancy Centers are a national network of generally unlicensed, unregulated religious extremist, anti-choice organizations posing as comprehensive health care clinics, organized by the anti-choice movement to discourage women from choosing abortion. For CareNet, which has affiliates in Colorado, its mission is “a culture where women and men faced with pregnancy decisions are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and empowered to choose life for their unborn children and abundant life for their families.”

CPCs consistently use false or misleading advertising to pose as women’s clinics to lure in women with unplanned pregnancies, despite often not having a doctor on staff. CPC workers and volunteers use anti-abortion rhetoric with information that is neither medically nor scientifically accurate. One representative from a Colorado CPC testified before the Colorado Legislature that if a woman came in who actually wanted an abortion, she’d direct her to the Yellow Pages.

Because CPC employees typically are not medical professionals or doctors, there is no confidentiality law governing their actions even if the CPC claims confidentiality. Some CPCs continue to harass a woman after leaving the clinic, such as by contacting the parents of minors to inform them of their daughter’s sexual activity or by contacting a woman via phone or mail.

CPCs often set up offices near family planning clinics and/or abortion providers in order to intercept women who might consider abortion. For example, Denver Health is building a new facility on South Federal Boulevard. That area is predominantly Latino and would serve a large population of low-income residents. There’s been an increase in advertisements on TV and billboards on near the new clinic site. These ads are obviously targeting low-income, scared women who may see FREE healthcare and be tricked into visiting their “clinic” instead of the health facility.

CPC’s also target college students for that reason. There is an “Alternatives Crisis Pregnancy Center” on Auraria campus, which serves three schools: Metropolitan State College, University of Colorado Denver, and Community College of Denver. They are listed as a recognized student organization, which allows them to bring their mobile RV Clinic to campus. The RV advertises Free STD testing as its main selling point – and the deception doesn’t end there. Many students I have spoken with think the RV is related to Planned Parenthood because they use pink and handout free pregnancy tests.

I was actually fooled by them as a student at Metro State. I went to the Alternatives office thinking it was a Planned Parenthood-like clinic on campus and asked for one of the free pregnancy tests they give away. Instead I was ambushed by staffers pressuring me to sit down and talk about what I would do if I thought I was pregnant. It was clear abortion would not be an option.

So now, as campus organizer for NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, I think it’s important that we make students aware of what this “clinic” is. This spring, our Auraria Campus pro-choice group decided to organize a protest on the scheduled days the mobile clinic would be there so we could let students know right away what this bus was before they stumbled in like I did years ago.

Having their deception exposed did not go over well with the CPC, especially when students started asking question of their workers at their table. The executive director confronted me directly and insisted that I was spreading misinformation by saying they were medically unlicensed. I investigated and nowhere could I find a license for the organization.

We held another protest a month later and they actually called campus police on me and attempted to have me removed.

The good news is, this fight has created awareness around the CPC and how it deceives women. And we need to take this awareness statewide. Colorado women deserve to know what their options are, not be tricked by people trying to take their choices away from them.