A watchdog group has asked New York Attorney General Leticia James to investigate whether crisis pregnancy centers in the state are using misleading language online—telling women they can “rule out” ectopic pregnancy. The dispute centers on what a single ultra
On Mother’s Day. the Trump administration put a new web destination in front of pregnant people seeking help: Moms.gov. The site points “expecting parents who are navigating difficult or unexpected pregnancies” to crisis pregnancy centers around the country. emphasizing free services and support. Moms.gov says many centers offer pregnancy tests. ultrasounds. STD/STI testing and treatment. parenting support. childbirth classes. medical referrals. and material goods like clothes and diapers—“at no cost to you.”.
There are thousands of crisis pregnancy centers nationwide—around 2,500, according to a 2024 estimate from the Government Accountability Office. Many are Christian organizations, and all aim to keep people from having abortions. Staff are often volunteers who may or may not have medical training. Some wear scrubs or white coats and have clients fill out medical questionnaires.
Campaign for Accountability. a nonprofit watchdog organization. says the web messaging is colliding with a medical reality that can’t be glossed over. This week. the group sent a letter to New York Attorney General Leticia James asking her office to investigate whether crisis pregnancy centers in New York are fraudulently advertising to women about their ability to diagnose ectopic pregnancy.
The letter argues that language promising more than a center can actually provide can push patients away from comprehensive care. It cites the risk that by leading patients to believe that services are adequate substitutes for medical diagnoses. crisis pregnancy centers “may cause women to forgo comprehensive medical care. ” resulting in “suffering grievous bodily injury.” Campaign for Accountability says it found 100 examples in 49 states of pregnancy centers using language on their websites about how they can “rule out” ectopic pregnancies.
Ectopic pregnancy is rare, but it is dangerous. It happens when an embryo implants outside of the uterus; if the embryo implants in a fallopian tube. the tube can rupture. which can be life threatening. Campaign for Accountability’s central point is that a single ultrasound can’t determine whether a pregnancy is ectopic.
To make that case, the watchdog letter points to real-world harm in Texas and Massachusetts. It cites cases in which women went to pregnancy centers that missed ectopic pregnancies—women who were later found to be dealing with the complication after the center’s assessment.
Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of Campaign for Accountability, described what those cases can look like. “They were told that their pregnancies were viable or told that everything was fine,” she said. “And then later they found themselves in the hospital with an ectopic pregnancy that was not diagnosed by the crisis pregnancy center.”.
Kuppersmith said Campaign for Accountability may send additional letters to attorneys general in other states. The goal, she said, is to keep pressure on lawmakers and regulators until centers stop using claims that women could interpret as medical diagnosis.
“ We’re hoping that by continuing to expose this issue, there will be additional attention to it, and that perhaps these centers will do the right thing and stop trying to make claims to women about things that they can’t actually do,” she said.
The dispute also reaches the language crisis pregnancy centers use when describing ultrasound testing. The watchdog’s findings follow a pattern critics say is designed to reassure people during an anxious time. On the website of MyChoice Pregnancy Care Center in New York’s Hudson Valley. for example. the center states: “It’s important to rule out an ectopic pregnancy or a natural miscarriage and find out how far along you are via limited ultrasound.” The page adds: “Contact us for a free ultrasound.”.
A membership organization representing many crisis pregnancy centers agrees with one part of the criticism: don’t promise the impossible. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, or NIFLA, says centers shouldn’t advertise that they can “rule out” ectopic pregnancy.
In a webinar last year for the The ProLife Team Podcast. NIFLA’s Vice President of Legal Affairs Anne O’Connor advised centers: “Do not advertise. ‘We can rule out an ectopic.’” She continued: “We really don’t like to see that language because it is near impossible to rule out an ectopic.” O’Connor said the diagnosis requires multiple blood tests and multiple ultrasounds. and that these centers cannot provide ongoing medical care.
O’Connor said centers can still talk about ultrasounds, but suggested language along the lines of: “We’re doing the ultrasound to see if the fetus is in the womb where it’s supposed to be.” NIFLA did not respond to multiple requests from NPR for comment.
The argument is also tied to how crisis pregnancy center marketing has evolved since Roe v. Wade was overturned four years ago and medication abortion became more prominent. Campaign for Accountability says the marketing about ectopic pregnancies often references abortion medication.
For instance, the MyChoice Pregnancy Care Center website tells patients: “If you plan on taking abortion pills, book an ultrasound to rule out an ectopic pregnancy.”
Dr. Jonas Swartz. professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke Health. said it isn’t medically necessary to obtain an ectopic pregnancy diagnosis before taking abortion medication. “Telemedicine abortion with medication abortion has been shown to be safe even without ultrasound,” Swartz said. He added that abortion medication won’t resolve an ectopic pregnancy, but it also won’t make it worse. If someone does have an ectopic pregnancy, Swartz said, they will need multiple follow-up visits and medical or surgical treatment.
The human stakes of this argument are difficult to ignore. Swartz said he is sympathetic to patients navigating the confusing early weeks of pregnancy—people who may be worried, scared, and unable to get in to see an OB-GYN quickly.
“Theoretically. people who would reach out to a crisis pregnancy center are in crisis — they are having an unexpected pregnancy or something going on in their pregnancy and they need help. ” he said. “I would think the best place to get that help would be a place where you know that you are seeing a trained medical team who have medical licenses and are working in a regulated facility. ” Swartz added.
He urged a different allocation of resources. “I would love to encourage us to devote our public tax resources and other resources toward increasing the availability of those services.”
For Campaign for Accountability, the question is not whether crisis pregnancy centers offer compassion or support. It’s whether the language they use—especially promises to “rule out” a potentially life-threatening condition—crosses the line from help into misleading medical assurance. And for Attorney General Leticia James. the letter lays down a clear request: investigate whether New York’s centers are presenting services in a way that could cause women to delay or forgo the care that ectopic pregnancy requires.
Moms.gov crisis pregnancy centers ectopic pregnancy Leticia James Campaign for Accountability NIFLA ultrasound medication abortion Duke Health