The investigation, which was conducted in 18 countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia, documented how these organisation lure vulnerable women into keeping pregnancy they had rather not.
A global investigation by openDemocracy has revealed how two influential United States Christian conservative groups, Heartbeat International, and Human Life International, are funding anti-abortion campaigns with misinformation in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
The investigation, which was conducted in 18 countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia, documented how these organisation lure vulnerable women into keeping pregnancy they had rather not.
The organisations through these affiliates replicate the controversial Crisis Pregnancy Centres in Africa and across the world.
CPC are common in the United States with the reputation of using misinformation to dissuade women from getting abortion.
Under the current President Donald Trump-led United States Government, many American states are beginning to roll back on their abortion polices.
In 2019 alone, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and five other states signed restrictive laws on abortion.
While abortion is illegal in Nigeria, medical misinformation can have grievous health consequences.
The affiliates of these groups working in Nigeria make use of misinformation and sometimes persuade their victims into keeping the pregnancy.
These affiliates employ similar mechanisms to lure vulnerable women and teenagers in countries where abortion has been legalised.
In an instance, openDemocracy found that in Italy and Nigeria, the organisations likened abortion to murder.
The investigation found that “around the world centres specifically targeting vulnerable women and teenagers were found. In Italy as well as Nigeria and Uganda, centres have also done outreach at local schools including secondary schools.
“At numerous centres, ladies were offered money or other support to continue pregnancies, such as in Nigeria - food throughout the pregnancy and support for the baby for the first three months.
“In centres around the world, women were told similar, inaccurate information about physical health risks as a result of abortion, including cancer and death.
“In Nigeria, she was told that abortion could damage her womb. In Costa Rica and Spain women were told that abortion could cause heart problems, in Zambia as well as Costa Rica, Spain and Mexico, women were told they could die.
“In Nigeria they talked about metal instruments being passed through the woman's vagina to pull out the foetus piece by piece in a procedure that could damage the womb.”