Pregnancy centers in the U.S. that discourage women from getting abortions have been adding more medical services — and could be poised to expand further.
The expansion — ranging from testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections to even providing primary medical care — has been unfolding for years. It gained steam after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, clearing the way for states to ban abortion.
The push could get more momentum with Planned Parenthood closing some clinics and considering shuttering others following changes to Medicaid. Planned Parenthood is not just the nation’s largest abortion provider, but also offers cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and other reproductive health services.
“We ultimately want to replace Planned Parenthood with the services we offer,” said Heather Lawless, founder and director of Reliance Center in Lewiston, Idaho. She noted that about 40% of patients at the anti-abortion center are there for reasons unrelated to pregnancy, including some who use the nurse practitioner as a primary caregiver.
The changes have frustrated abortion-rights groups, who oppose the centers’ anti-abortion messaging, and express concern regarding their lack of accountability. Critics note that most centers refuse to provide birth control and have limited ultrasound capabilities that cannot diagnose fetal anomalies due to a lack of trained personnel. A growing number also offer unproven abortion-pill reversal treatments.
Because most of the centers don’t accept insurance, the federal law restricting the release of medical information doesn’t apply. Some centers claim to follow it anyway, but they aren’t required to meet standards set for Medicaid or private insurers, although services must generally have medical directors who comply with state licensing requirements.
“There are really bedrock questions,” said Jennifer McKenna, a senior adviser for Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch, a project funded by liberal policy organizations that researches the pregnancy centers, “about whether this industry has the clinical infrastructure to provide the medical services it’s currently advertising.”
Post-Roe world opened new opportunities
Best known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” these mostly privately funded and religiously affiliated centers have been expanding services such as diaper banks ahead of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling.
As abortion bans took effect, the centers expanded their medical, educational, and other programs, said Moira Gaul, a scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. “They are prepared to serve their communities for the long-term,” she asserted.
In Sacramento, California, Alternatives Pregnancy Center has added family practice doctors, a radiologist, and a specialist in high-risk pregnancies over the last two years, along with nurses and medical assistants.
When The Associated Press asked to interview a patient who had received only non-pregnancy services, the clinic provided Jessica Rose, a 31-year-old woman who detransitioned after years of gender-affirming treatments. For the last two years, she has received all her medical care at Alternatives, which has an OB-GYN specializing in hormone therapy.
As of 2024, more than 2,600 anti-abortion pregnancy centers operated in the U.S., up 87 from 2023, according to the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map. Meanwhile, abortion clinics have dwindled significantly, with over 40 closures noted in the past year.
Taxpayer funds have played a crucial role in their expansion, with nearly 20 states dedicating millions to these organizations. Texas allocated $70 million this fiscal year alone.
Planned Parenthood, on the other hand, has faced severe funding restrictions and could be forced to close numerous clinics as a result. Some abortion-right advocates worry this will lead to more healthcare deserts, leaving pregnancy centers as the only option for many women.
Kaitlyn Joshua, a founder of abortion-rights group Abortion in America, expressed concerns about the information provided by the centers, stating they should be regulated to ensure accuracy rather than an ideological agenda.
Despite the growth of these centers, their critics argue they do not provide the full spectrum of reproductive health services available at institutions like Planned Parenthood, particularly in the realm of contraceptive access.
The future landscape of reproductive healthcare continues to change, as pregnancy centers position themselves amid an evolving healthcare environment in the U.S.
