Heartbeat International is an international

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

association that supports the largest network of

crisis pregnancy center A crisis pregnancy center (CPC), sometimes called a pregnancy resource center (PRC) or a pro-life pregnancy center, is a type of nonprofit organization established by anti-abortion groups primarily to persuade pregnant women against having an ab ...

s (CPC) in the world, with over 2,000 affiliates in 50 countries. It does not offer, recommend, or refer for

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

s. It describes itself as an "interdenominational Christian association". Heartbeat International teaches its affiliated members to make their advertising look as though they are full-service reproductive health clinics that provide referrals for

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

or abortion. Staff are also trained on how to discourage pregnant women from accessing abortion, and how to discourage young women from using emergency contraception, birth control pills, or IUDs. Heartbeat staff are also encouraged to create two websites, one that has an explicitly Christian message, and one that looks like

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

. Many pregnancy centers have the ultimate goal of converting women through a born-again experience to "save the mother, save the baby". For a story appearing in February 2020,

openDemocracy openDemocracy is an independent media platform and news website based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2001, openDemocracy states that through reporting and analysis of social and political issues, they seek to "challenge power and encourage de ...

sent "feminist investigative journalists" to 30 Heartbeat International crisis pregnancy centers in 18 countries, where they "were given misleading or manipulative counselling in most cases." The reporters, who posed as women with unwanted pregnancies, found cases where women were told falsehoods such as abortion causing mental illness, cancer, or increased risk of child abuse, along with other misinformation. In January 2016, Jor-El Godsey was named President of Heartbeat International.

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External links

* International Christian organizations Crisis pregnancy centers Religious organizations based in the United States Charities based in Ohio Anti-abortion organizations {{abortion-stub