Care in Crisis: Navigating Pregnancy Centers in the Catskills

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When you’re pregnant and unsure of what to do, the first place you turn for help can shape everything that follows. In the Catskills, not all pregnancy centers are what they seem and the difference could determine whether you get medical care or misinformation.

Licensed providers like Family Planning of South Central New York offer “affordable, compassionate, confidential care to anyone from any walk of life,” regardless of income, immigration status, or insurance. Their staff are “appropriately credentialed” and trained in cultural competency to provide sensitive, informed care, explains Felicity Gomer, their Director of Public Communications.

These clinics offer all-options pregnancy counseling, including referrals to “trusted abortion providers,” a “full range of FDA approved birth control methods,” free condoms, emergency contraception, and testing and treatment for HIV and STIs. Their philosophy centers on “the patient’s choice” and delivering care with “compassion, not coercion,” says Gomer.

By contrast, Crisis Pregnancy Centers are often religiously affiliated and aim to discourage abortion. In Ulster County, centers such as Bravo Pregnancy Support Center do not provide abortions, abortion referrals, contraception, or licensed medical services.

Some CPCs offer free ultrasounds or STI testing, but concerns persist over the qualifications of staff performing them. The Delaware County Pregnancy Center, for example, has paused its ultrasound services due to a lack of licensed personnel. Their services focus instead on “peer counseling” and material support, like diapers, formula, and clothing, often given through programs that encourage parenthood education such as “earn what you learn.” Some also offer “Abortion Recovery Support Groups.”

Local healthcare professionals warn that CPCs may spread misinformation. Gomer says these centers are not “real medical providers” and may not be “bound by HIPAA or medical ethics.” She adds that many CPCs “promote false claims about the effects of abortion or the effects of Plan B pills.” Dr. Elizabeth Solger, an OB-GYN, agrees, saying CPCs often spread “misinformation about the risks of abortion,” despite its medical safety.

In one instance, a Binghamton patient, who wished to remain anonymous, described a suspected CPC volunteer standing across from a legitimate clinic, gently waving patients over without identifying her affiliation. The resident was seeking an abortion and says had they not been more educated on these subtle tactics, they could’ve unwittingly gone over to the woman. The patient said that it is “very discouraging to know how many people probably get persuaded into that.”

When seeking care, in order to avoid confusion, Gomer advises pregnant individuals to ask if a center is staffed by licensed professionals, whether they provide or refer for abortions, and to be cautious of any “religious undertones or coercive undertones.” Her guidance is simple: “if a place won’t talk about all of your options, it’s not a medical clinic; it’s an agenda.”

Photo: New York Attorney General Letitia James at an Abortion Rights Rally