Coercion, Compassion, and Crisis

Eye Lounge is pleased to present Coercion, Compassion, and Crisis by Amanda Mollindo at Modified Arts. This is the second installment of a photographic survey about crisis pregnancy centers in states that have committed taxpayer dollars to fund them. Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are nonprofit organizations that typically have direct or indirect religious affiliation. While they look like healthcare clinics and advertise free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and STI testing, these facilities are rarely staffed by medical professionals. People who have mistakenly visited crisis pregnancy centers have reported staff members attempting to influence pregnancy decisions or receiving medically inaccurate test results at these facilities. When Mollindo began this series in 2018, there were twelve states that appropriated public funds to these organizations. That number grew over time, peaking at 18 in 2022, with some states reversing their fiscal commitments in the last two years. To date, Mollindo has worked in ten of those states and seeks to complete this project by 2026. The second installment will feature new work created in Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas alongside a limited selection of images produced between 2018 and 2022.