This new research in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals a nationwide network of crisis pregnancy centers in the USA. Texas has the most, in143 locations, followed by California (126) and Florida (98). The research reveals the need for greater scrutiny of these centers’ practices. (Figure courtesy of John W Ayers, PhD, and team)
This study, just published, by scientists at the University of California San Diego, introduces a powerful new approach to understanding the operation of crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), which are non-profit organizations dedicated to an anti-abortion agenda.
The study shows that these centers may provide valuable community services, like parenting classes, but also that there is a clear need for consumer safety measures to prevent the promotion and use of sometimes questionable medical services. The study utilized ChoiceWatch.org, an innovative analysis engine that archived and analyzed more than 470,000 webpages from 1,825 crisis pregnancy centers’ websites between September 2023 and March 2024. To demonstrate how these data can be used, the research team selected a subset of 1,825 CPC websites archived between September 2, 2023, and March 14, 2024, and used the content of these pages to describe where they operate and what services they advertised.
The research revealed a nationwide network of crisis pregnancy centers, with Texas leading with 143 locations, followed by California (126) and Florida (98). When adjusted for population, Montana and Wyoming showed the highest concentration, with 7.45 and 6.48 crisis pregnancy centers per 100,000 women of reproductive age, respectively. Utah, Hawaii and Washington DC, had the lowest concentrations.
“While some might assume crisis pregnancy centers operate primarily in states with restrictive abortion policies, our data shows they maintain a strong presence across all 50 states,” said Hollie Keene, a student research fellow at the Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego and study co-author, she noted that progressive states have similar numbers of crisis pregnancy centers as states that heavily restrict abortion.
The study found that 90% of crisis pregnancy center websites advertised social services, including adoption (83%), parenting (62%), post-abortion social support (39%) and men’s social support (14%). They also found that 91% of CPCs advertised medical services, including pregnancy testing (85%), ultrasound (77%), STI testing (54%) and abortion education (52%).
Most concerning, 30% of CPC websites promoted “abortion pill reversal,” with some centers directly targeting women who (they think) might regret starting a medical abortion. This “treatment”, invented by an anti-abortion doctor, is not approved anywhere as it “could increase the risk of serious complications like sepsis, especially in cases where it interferes with the completion of anabortion with pills”. In general, the study found that “it was unclear whether trained professionals were providing medical services, whether the diagnostics or treatments met acceptable standards, or what safety protocols were in place.”
SOURCE: UC San Diego Today by Mika Ono, 2 December 2024.