Pregnancy Decision Health Centers is one of several organizations set to benefit from $7.5 million in new state money for controversial crisis pregnancy centers over the next two years. Julie Moore, the group's president, said the money will help the group's mission of reducing infant mortality in the state. [Handout Photo] ▲ Pregnancy Decision Health Centers is one of several organizations set to benefit from $7.5 million in new state money for controversial crisis pregnancy centers over the next two years. Pictured: Julie Moore, the group's president, said the money will help the group's mission of reducing infant mortality in the state. [Handout Photo] ▲

A big bump in funding for crisis pregnancy centers in Ohio's new state budget is fueling a fight around the controversial facilities that supporters say help needy women while critics decry them as "fake health clinics" meant to steer women away from abortions.

The final budget sets aside $7.5 million over the next two years for the Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program, which funds several crisis pregnancy centers throughout the state. That's up from $1 million in the last biennial budget, and an increase of $2.5 million over earlier versions of the Republican-controlled General Assembly's budget bill.

The centers generally are religiously affiliated nonprofits that offer parenting classes, assistance with prenatal care and other services related to early parenting.

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They also counsel women against abortions and, in some cases, conduct ultrasounds. Often, the centers have licensed medical professionals who are opposed to abortion serving as their medical directors.

"We have always been a pro-life caucus and the addition of this money reflects that," said John Fortney, a spokesman for the Senate Republican caucus. "We think it's important to look after the moms and also the baby that will eventually be born."

The legislature first funded the program in the 2013 budget through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grant. The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services awarded grants ranging from $22,000 to $100,000 to six recipients during the last budget cycle.

"My question is beyond handing out cribs and diapers and false information, what in the world is the state of Ohio paying $7.5 million for?" asked Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood.

State funding makes up a small portion of the budget for several groups receiving money from the program. For example, Elizabeth's New Life Center in Dayton, one of the biggest crisis pregnancy organizations in the state, has a $3 million annual budget and received $100,000 from the state.

Ohio law places several restrictions on the centers and organizations that receive state funds. Lawmakers designed the program to promote childbirth and parenting as alternatives to abortion and meet TANF grant guidelines.

They also must be nonprofit, promote childbirth and provide clothing, counseling, diapers, health care, parenting classes and other supportive services at no charge. In practice, the "health care" requirement takes the form of pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and other prenatal care.

Democratic lawmakers have questioned, though, how the state can fund the centers but not have strict oversight of them.

"They're a crisis center of some sort, yet there's no oversight. There's no accountability. There's no requirement or inspections," Antonio said. "I think that's very problematic. They're representing themselves as something truly that they're not."

House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes said the centers hide behind their religious affiliation to avoid regulation, claiming that attempts to control them would violate the First Amendment.

Visits to Columbus-based Pregnancy Decision Health Centers increased to nearly 5,000 last year, and it performed more than 1,600 ultrasounds, said Julie Moore, the nonprofit's president. About 88% of the women PDHC serves earn less than $30,000 a year, she said.

Moore would not divulge the proportion of visits where women were seeking abortion counseling.

Organizations seeking state grant funding had to file an application with the state, explaining how many eligible clients they serve, where the service occurs and who provides the service, among other things.

"Each item or program we plan to use the money for has to be explained, justified and itemized down to the penny," said Vivian Koob, executive director of Elizabeth's New Life Center.

In addition to that assessment, many centers assess women and their individual circumstances to determine what care they need.

Centers often categorize women based on how likely they are to get an abortion, using training from larger organizations such as Heartbeat International, Koob said.

A woman is deemed "abortion-minded" if she wants an abortion or is being pressured toward one by someone else. "Abortion-vulnerable" is reserved for women who have had abortions in the past, or who do not have the resources to carry their pregnancies to term. Other categories apply to women who want to carry their pregnancies to term.

If someone is "abortion-minded," the center cannot do much other than give information about abortion, offer support or try to counsel against it. Under Ohio law the centers cannot be associated with "any abortion activities, including providing abortion counseling or referrals to abortion clinics, performing abortion-related medical procedures, or engaging in pro-abortion advertising."

Catholic Social Services does not offer clients medical advice, vice president Sabree Akinyele said, though it does refer them to other providers. It is anti-abortion, following guidance from the Catholic Church, but Akinyele said staff do not discuss abortion with clients.

The organization received $75,000 grants in 2017 and 2018 that helped fund a case manager who works with clients accessing its mental health services, Akinyele said.

The case manager helps pregnant women and new mothers navigate public benefits systems, negotiate with landlords when they can't afford rent, goes to eviction court and deals with transportation problems, she said.

Like pregnancy centers, Catholic Social Services provides diapers, pack-and-plays and other supplies for young mothers, but Akinyele said it is not a pregnancy center.

The abortion information many centers provide has been scrutinized as inaccurate by opponents. For example, PDHC and other centers around the country publish on their websites that some studies have shown a link between abortion and an increased risk for breast cancer.

More recent studies and organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have concluded that induced abortion does not lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Your First Look Women's Center, associated with Heartbeat of Toledo, cites a risk of future infertility after getting an abortion or multiple abortions. The Mayo Clinic has said that in general, elective abortion is not thought to cause fertility issues.

"The problem here lies in the fact that they are giving medically inaccurate information. They're being coercive, they're outright lying to women," Sykes said.

The president of Ohio Right to Life, Mike Gonidakis, said the centers' opponents are speaking out of their depth when they make claims about centers misleading women.

"Not one opponent who makes false claims has ever visited a pregnancy center. And yet they think they're experts in what we do here in Ohio," he said.

Citizens for Community Values President Aaron Baer said "counseling women who are newly pregnant or might be experiencing a crisis pregnancy is a relatively small amount of what they do."

The centers help women navigate state and local support programs on top of providing supplies to new and expectant mothers, he said.

"The bottom line is that these pregnancy centers all throughout Ohio are helping women in their most vulnerable situations."

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