Lawmakers aghast after Texas crisis pregnancy centers caught lying to women about basic medical facts

Across from a Texas Planned Parenthood with signs that look all too similar, is a crisis pregnancy center, so-called because they target women who are pregnant and in crisis about it. They don't usually give free pregnancy tests. They don't provide any medical care. Diapers, ultrasounds and prenatal care for women who decide to go forward with their pregnancy still have strings attached. To get resources to help, the women are forced to take religious parenting classes.

When NBC News went to a crisis pregnancy center across from Planned Parenthood, what they told producers outright shocked two female lawmakers, one a Republican and another a Democrat. Taxpayer dollars go to the facilities and in the case of Texas, $100 million is being spent on the clinics in 2022 and 2023, public records showed. Frequently such offices lie that abortions cause infertility.

"The nation’s largest national obstetricians’ group, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AGOC), says that’s medical misinformation," NBC noted.

“My job is not to scare you," a staffer at the Dallas crisis pregnancy center told the NBC producer when she asked about the abortion pill. "You never get over seeing that baby.”

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NBC revealed that the woman pointed to a plastic model of a fetus, "Can you imagine one of these in your panties?"

Anti-abortion groups have a series of plastic models of fetuses, except they're not scientifically accurate. In fact, they're just miniaturized dolls. Despite what conservative lawmakers have said and passed laws about, there's no heartbeat at that stage because there is no heart.

The two lawmakers, former Rep. Sarah Davis, (R-Houston) and Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin), heard the statement and were aghast. Howard is a critical care nurse and also served at one time as the president of the Texas Nurses Association. She called the lies "offensive" and "shaming."

“Not only is that a horrible thing for a woman to be told and medically, totally inaccurate, but I don’t understand why conservatives who are always touting the party of fiscal responsibility … turn a blind eye to this," Davis agreed.

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For years, the two women have supported accountability for such companies if they're taxpayer-funded.

The crisis pregnancy center volunteer explained, "Because of government stuff … I can pray for you. I can’t pray with you" and then gave the NBC producer a pair of knit baby booties.

See the video below.