On Nov. 4, the University of New Mexico held a film viewing of “Preconceived: The Unexpected World of Crisis Pregnancy Centers,” which depicts the dangers of abortion-alternative centers.
The event was hosted by the Women’s Resource Center and the Southwest Women’s Law Center.
“Preconceived” navigates the world of crisis pregnancy centers, which are anti-abortion, often deeply religious and target women with unexpected pregnancies. They are advertised as “abortion alternatives,” with their goal being to talk women out of getting abortions.
According to a recent study by NBC News, crisis pregnancy centers now outnumber abortion clinics 3-to-1.
The documentary follows two women, Maleeha and Maria, depicting their experiences with crisis pregnancy centers. The filmmakers also interviewed doctors, crisis center employees and even Brandi Swindell, who is the CEO of one of the most prolific chains of crisis pregnancy centers: Stanton Healthcare.
Swindell described women’s health care as a business with competition. That’s why so many Stanton Healthcare locations are placed right next to Planned Parenthood locations, she said.
“Our mission is to be the go-to choice for women facing unexpected pregnancies,” Swindell said. “The concept (of) abortion cannot exist with our beliefs.”
Maria was a patient at a crisis pregnancy center in Colorado, where she was convinced her to keep her pregnancy with promises of support during and after the pregnancy. However, after the baby was born, Maria found herself struggling and feeling abandoned, according to the film.
According to the film, some of the networks that support crisis pregnancy centers claim to be run by families or churches, but they are actually associated with large, far-right, anti-abortion conglomerates such as Heartbeat International.
At one point, Next Level Data, the medical database where some crisis centers store their medical data, was also publicly available on the internet, according to Southwest Women’s Law Center staff attorney Hailey Zock. The data included medical information, full names and addresses, Zock said.
Zock spoke with the audience after the film. She said she foresees an increase in funding for crisis pregnancy centers as a result of another Donald Trump presidency. Project 2025, which is led by former Trump administration officials, promises to fund “alternatives to abortion,” Zock said.
Zock also said there are difficulties in regulating crisis pregnancy centers.
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Crisis pregnancy centers cannot provide medical care without a license. In New Mexico, that means they cannot perform ultrasounds, Zock said, though that legislation is not the national standard.
But, as Zock explained, regulating the misinformation about crisis pregnancy centers is much harder, as they are not subject to consumer protection laws. Crisis pregnancy centers don’t charge for their services.
“They can say, ‘Oh, that doesn’t apply to us. Everything’s for free,’” Zock said.
Women’s Resource Center Director Áine McCarthy said that part of the inspiration for hosting the event was an uptick in the amount of crisis pregnancy centers with mobile clinics targeting UNM students.
“College students are vulnerable, especially because (crisis pregnancy centers) come to campus and we aren’t able to kick them off,” McCarthy said. “We don’t have the ability to disinvite them, so we don’t want students to be misled.”
Editor's note: A previous version of this article did not properly attribute the claim that Next Level Data was publicly accessible, and did not specify that it is not currently accessible. The article has been updated to reflect both that Hailey Zock said this and the actual accessibility.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article implied that Heartbeat International runs crisis pregnancy centers. It has been updated to say the association is "affiliated with" these centers, because according to Heartbeat International Vice President of Communications and Marketing Andrea Trudden, it does not run any.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the crisis pregnancy center Maria attended. The article has been updated to reflect the correct location.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
