The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States and Legal Momentum, a New York-based organization dedicated to advancing women's rights, say that since 1982 more than $130 million in federal abstinence-only funding has gone to crisis pregnancy centers. The federal government funded centers through the National Fatherhood Initiative through 2011.
States have also funneled money to crisis pregnancy centers through "Choose Life" license plates.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, of the 28 states that allow such license plates, 15 donate a portion of the revenue raised to specific crisis pregnancy organizations; 18 donate to adoption agencies.
A federal judge in December 2012 blocked North Carolina from issuing "Choose Life" license plates -- a portion of whose revenues would have gone to a private organization that funds crisis pregnancy centers in the state -- without providing an alternative plate supporting abortion rights.
Wisconsin Rep. Andre Jacque (R-Bellevue) introduced a bill to allow a "Choose Life" license plate in March 2012 but it did not advance.
There is considerable support among state lawmakers for crisis pregnancy centers, however. In 2011 the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature approved a resolution (PDF) honoring centers for "the tremendous, life-affirming impact of pregnancy centers on the women, men, and children they serve" throughout Wisconsin.
And in July 2011 Isthmus reported that a link had been added on the state of Wisconsin's website, wisconsin.gov, to Care Net. The link has since been removed.
[Editor's note: This article was corrected to reflect that federal funding for centers through the National Fatherhood Initiative ended in 2011.]
