What exactly is a fake clinic?
A breakdown of what fake clinics are, how they deceive people seeking abortion care, and why they’re still operating across the country.
Program
Expose Fake Clinics
They look like health centers. They’re not.
We’re exposing anti-abortion deception and giving you the tools to shut it down.
Fake clinics, often called Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), are part of a coordinated anti-abortion strategy designed to interfere with people seeking reproductive health care. They advertise “free ultrasounds” and “pregnancy support,” but they do not provide abortions and often do not provide comprehensive medical care.
Instead, they exist to delay, mislead, and pressure people who are trying to access time-sensitive health care.
Crisis Pregnancy Centers
CPCs carefully market themselves to look like legitimate medical providers. They use neutral-sounding language like “pregnancy help” or “abortion information,” buy ads tied to abortion search terms, and often appear in online results before real clinics.
But they avoid clearly stating that they do not provide abortions.
This confusion isn’t accidental — it’s strategic. Expose Fake Clinics calls out these deceptive tactics and helps people find real providers when they need them.
There are nearly 3,000 fake clinics across the U.S., and in many states, they outnumber real abortion providers.
These facilities are often located near legitimate clinics to cause confusion. Many are funded by anti-abortion organizations and, in some states, receive taxpayer dollars.
Because most are not licensed medical providers, they are not bound by HIPAA. That means the personal information they collect may not have the same legal privacy protections as real health care settings.
Fake clinics are not random community organizations; they are part of a larger infrastructure working to undermine abortion access nationwide.
Want to dig deeper or take action? Start here.
How Fake Clinics Intentionally Mislead You
Real examples of how fake clinics deliberately manipulate search results, mimic legitimate medical providers, and target people seeking abortion care.
Inside a Fake Clinic
An inside look at how fake clinics pose as medical providers, use deceptive ultrasounds, delay care, and spread misinformation to interfere with abortion access.
All-Options Talkline: 1-888-493-0092
If you are pregnant and unsure how to feel or what to do next, or want to talk about a past or current experience with abortion, adoption, parenting, infertility or pregnancy loss, you’ve found the right place.
The National Network of Abortion Funds
The National Network of Abortion Funds offers a handy guide & resources nationwide to help plan an appointment – from transportation, to payment, to finding childcare. Insurance policies and appointment requirements vary from state to state. Get info & support!
Exhale Pro-Voice: 1-866-4-EXHALE
Exhale Pro-Voice provides free, nonjudgmental emotional support after an abortion through their talkline and textline. If you need someone to listen – no shame, no pressure, no agenda – this is a great place to start.
#ExposeFakeClinics: Action Guide
Step-by-step instructions for identifying fake clinics, writing truthful reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook, and upvoting accurate information to combat online misinformation.
#ExposeFakeClinics: Direct Action Toolkit
A step-by-step guide to organizing direct actions that expose fake clinics from planning peaceful protests and creating signs to engaging local media and spreading real abortion resources.
#ExposeFakeClinics: Review-A-Thon!
Turn exposing fake clinics into a group action. This toolkit shows you how to organize a Review-A-Thon, spot deceptive tactics, and flood review platforms with truthful information.
You Can End this Deception
Crisis Pregnancy Centers rely on confusion and delay. We rely on facts, transparency, and action. Help expose fake clinics and protect access to abortion care.
About #ExposeFakeClinics
#ExposeFakeClinics is a national initiative created to tell the truth about manipulative, fake reproductive health centers. Created by Abortion Access Hackathon and Abortion Access Front, supported by more than 60 partner organizations across the country, #EFC offers resources and a community from which anyone can spread the word about these deceptive centers.