04 Dec Study Evaluates Services Advertised on Crisis Pregnancy Center Websites

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
John W. Ayers, PhD, MA
Altman Clinical Translational Research Institute
University of California
San Diego, La Jolla

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are frequently at the center of news
and policy debates, yet little data exists about where they operate or
what they actually do. To address this gap, we developed ChoiceWatch.org,
a tool that systematically collected and analyzed over 470,000 webpages from CPC websites.

In our study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, we used ChoiceWatch.org,
to answer fundamental questions, such as how many crisis pregnancy centers operate in the U.S.,
where they are located, and what services they advertise.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response:  We identified 1,825 operational crisis pregnancy centers based on their website data.
While many assume CPCs operate mainly in states with restrictive
abortion policies, we found they maintain a significant presence
across all 50 states.

Texas had the most CPCs 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 D.C., had the lowest concentrations.

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%). Indeed many of these
services can be valuable to local communities and families in need.

91% of crisis pregnancy centers advertised medical services,
including pregnancy tests (85%), ultrasounds (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 might regret
starting a medication abortion.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: While crisis pregnancy centers provide valuable services
like parenting classes and adoption support, the promotion of unproven and
potentially harmful treatments like abortion pill reversal raises serious public health
concerns. This isn’t about being pro-life or pro-choice—it’s about
ensuring women aren’t lied to or endangered during vulnerable moments.
Even crisis pregnancy centers operators should want to reform practices
that harm their missions.

Healthcare is a regulated field for a reason, yet crisis pregnancy centers operate with
little oversight while offering interventions that can have serious
consequences, like sepsis from incomplete abortions. Greater
transparency and regulation are essential to protect public health.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?

Response: Future research should continue monitoring CPCs to track their
offerings, assess compliance with regulations, and determine whether
their medical services meet any standards of care. Tools like
ChoiceWatch.org are crucial for providing data that can inform
policies and improve public health outcomes.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures?

Response: We are affiliated with ChoiceWatch.org and fully committed to
transparency. Our only agenda is to protect public health and ensure
that reproductive healthcare services are safe, ethical, and
evidence-based. It doesn’t matter your values or opinion on abortion,
we want sensible science that seeks to help all women by highlighting
needed reforms across reproductive healthcare.

Citation:

Desai KS, Keene H, Dredze M, Smith DM, Ayers JW. Characterizing Services Advertised on Crisis Pregnancy Center Websites. JAMA Intern Med. Published online December 02, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.6440

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Last Updated on December 4, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD