Not all pregnancy counselling agencies respect your right to choose.
There are some organizations, often called pregnancy care centres or crisis pregnancy centres, that present themselves as non-judgmental places to go for help in making a decision. In reality, they primarily exist to talk pregnant people out of choosing abortion, conceal their underlying faith-based mission, have been known to use inaccurate and misleading information, do not employ professionally licensed counsellors and will not make abortion referrals. Sometimes it can be difficult to know if you are in a pro-choice agency that will support whatever choice you make or an anti-choice one that will not, so it is always a good idea to call first and ask direct questions. Upon request, if you are not immediately given a name and number of a local provider or you are told they do not make referrals because they are not a medical facility, then this means they are not a pro-choice agency. You don’t have to be a medical facility to tell someone where to find local abortion care. Professional counselling agencies who truly respect people’s choices have that information to pass on to callers. If you are not sure who you are dealing with and are seeking professional pregnancy counselling services in your area, give us a call and we can help you find the services you need. Trusted counselling providers include Alberta Health Services Sexual and Reproductive Health clinics located in Calgary and throughout Alberta and the Centre for Sexuality.
If you are looking for post-abortion counselling you should also be careful where you go if you want professional services. Post-abortion counselling is offered at Kensington Clinic or with the provider who did your procedure. If you wish to go somewhere else, ask your provider for a referral.