Coercion, Compassion and Crisis

Step Gallery is pleased to present “Coercion, Compassion, and Crisis,” a photographic survey of crisis pregnancy centers in the United States by BFA alumni, Amanda Mollindo. 

Crisis pregnancy centers are religiously affiliated organizations that typically lack medical staff despite offering free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and STI testing. The centers, or CPCs, are known for spreading misinformation about abortion, contraception and sexual health and lying about pregnancy options when people come to them for help. With eighteen state governments ensuring their financial viability through public funding and a Supreme Court ruling limiting how they can be regulated, crisis pregnancy centers are here to stay. And in a post-Roe landscape hostile to abortion rights, they have more influence than ever.

Since 2018, Amanda Mollindo has researched CPCs, photographed centers in five states that financially support them and created maps to illustrate their prevalence. While most CPCs attempt to look as unassuming and legitimate as real healthcare facilities, “Coercion, Compassion, and Crisis” puts the focus on their facade. 

Exhibition Dates: Jan. 19—21, 26—28
Opening Reception: Friday, Jan. 20, 6 p.m.—9 p.m.
Gallery Hours: Thursday—Saturday, noon—5 p.m.

Image: Women’s Pregnancy Center, Marietta, GA (2020), Amanda Mollindo