AG Healey Issues Warning About Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Attorney General Maura Healey

HYANNIS – After the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and send the question of abortion back to the states, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is advising the public to be cautious about Crisis Pregnancy Centers.  

Healey released a recent consumer advisory warning going into detail about the limitations of the centers and the possibly deceptive nature in which they present services.  

“While crisis pregnancy centers claim to offer reproductive healthcare services, their goal is to prevent people from accessing abortion and contraception,” Healey said.

She advised people that the centers do not provide abortion care, referrals, or contraception.

The AG advised people seeking reproductive healthcare services to do research before making an appointment, since most Crisis Pregnancy Centers are not licensed medical facilities.  

She urged people to check online reviews before making an appointment with a facility and to ask if it’s licensed.

The AG provided a detailed list of information that she claims the public should be aware of concerning Crisis Pregnancy Centers:

• Some centers offer ultrasounds performed by unlicensed personnel, which can lead to inaccurate information about a pregnancy.
• Unlicensed staff members of the centers are not required to keep medical records private or follow a medical code of ethics.
• Those who work at the centers may provide false information about abortion or mislead someone about how far along their pregnancy is.
• The center may try to delay an appointment in hopes of making someone go past the point in which they are able to seek an abortion.
• Some centers use similar names to nearby abortion clinics and the AG’s office recommends patients double check they are in the right office.

Healey said a warning sign the public should watch out for is if a center offers free pregnancy tests, abortion counseling, and pre-abortion screenings, but doesn’t provide abortion.

Another sign patients should be cautious is if a center tries to pressure someone seeking services into continuing a pregnancy when they do not wish to do so by providing baby clothes or a plastic fetus.

Healey also reminded the public that abortion remains legal in Massachusetts.

Click here for the full consumer advisory warning from Attorney General Maura Healey.

By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter