Care Net is a conservative Christian

Conservative Christianity

Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...

 crisis pregnancy center

Crisis pregnancy center

A crisis pregnancy center , sometimes called a pregnancy resource center , is a non-profit organization established to counsel pregnant women against having an abortion....

 network operating primarily in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Its centers provide Christian, pro-life

Pro-life

Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...

 approaches to women facing unplanned pregnancies. Care Net centers do not perform, recommend, or refer clients for abortion

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

s. With over 1050 centers, it is the nation's largest CPC network.

Care Net is evangelistic

Evangelism

Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....

 in nature, and says that its "ultimate aim...is to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ in both word and deed" and that its "pregnancy centers are committed to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with every person who walks through their doors." Care Net claims to have effected over 23,000 conversions or restatements of Christian faith. It requires all employees of affiliated centers to comply with a statement of faith. Care Net is headquartered in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

History

Care Net was founded in 1975 by Dr. Harold O. J. Brown as the Christian Action Council (CAC), a right-wing political organization designed to roll-back the rights defined in the landmark Supreme Court Roe vs. Wade decision. CAC opened its first affiliated crisis pregnancy center in 1980 in Baltimore, Maryland. Over time, CAC shifted its focus toward supporting anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, and changed its name to Care Net in 1993 to reflect this change.

Criticism

Care Net, like other CPC networks, has been met with criticism for its pro-life nature. Care Net has been accused of being misleading, advertising its centers in a similar fashion as abortion clinic

Abortion clinic

An abortion clinic is a medical facility that primarily performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices.-Canada:*There were 197 abortion providers in Canada in 2001....

s. It also intentionally positions its centers near college campuses and medical facilities. Many women were told myths about fetal pain, abortion complications, and contraception

Contraception

Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...

, as they were encouraged to live a sexually abstinent lifestyle, consistent with conservative Christian beliefs.

External links

• Care Net
• Option Line - 24-hour telephone and web-based listing and referral service operated by Care Net and Heartbeat International.