US anti-abortion group Heartbeat International is taking advantage of Russia’s war in Ukraine to fundraise for ‘crisis pregnancy centres’ targeting refugees, openDemocracy has learnt.
Reproductive health experts fear the group could use its centres in Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Romania to gain access to vulnerable people and persuade them to continue with unwanted pregnancies.
Christian organisation Heartbeat International has been sending fundraising messages to its subscribers since 9 March requesting money for one of its affiliates, the Kharkov Pregnancy Assistance Center in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The centre was founded in 2003 as a “ministry for the protection of human life and family”, according to the Heartbeat webpage dedicated to the group.
