Analyzing the Communication Methods of Crisis Pregnancy Centres: A Conventional Content Analysis

Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) are nonprofit, non-medical facilities that advise pregnant women against abortion. This project analyzes the visual and verbal strategies that CPCs employ in their website communications that are directed at the general public, and how these strategies vary between three diverse locations. Using a conventional content analysis and a critical feminist and intersectional framework, this study examines three websites of CPCs in Ontario to understand how they attract clients. An analysis of the data shows that the CPCs are religiously affiliated, that they appeal not only to women but also to students, men, and in some cases, newcomers to Canada, and how they are doing so. The results also show that CPCs associate abortion with negative mental health outcomes. These results are important for health policy as they highlight policy loopholes that allow CPCs to disseminate harmful and deceptive health information