• Posted December 3, 2024

Crisis Pregnancy Centers Offer Dubious Advice on 'Abortion Pill Reversal'

So-called crisis pregnancy centers, often created with an anti-abortion agenda, are providing pregnant women some questionable medical advice alongside potentially helpful services, a new study finds.

Nearly a third (30%) of crisis pregnancy centers promote “abortion pill reversal,” researchers reported Dec. 3 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

This is “an unproven and potentially dangerous intervention,” said researcher Dr. Davey Smith, director of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

"This treatment lacks FDA approval, but, more worryingly, could increase the risk of serious complications like sepsis, especially in cases where it interferes with the completion of a medication abortion,” Smith added in a UCSD news release.

The study highlights the lack of oversight for the network of crisis pregnancy centers that has formed across the country, researchers said.

"While our study shows crisis pregnancy centers provide valuable community services, like parenting classes, there is a clear need for consumer safety measures to prevent the promotion and use of their questionable medical services," said researcher John Ayers, deputy director of informatics at the UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 470,000 webpages displayed by 1,825 crisis pregnancy center (CPC) websites between September 2023 and March 2024. The data is available at ChoiceWatch.org.

“By maintaining this public database, we're creating transparency around CPC practices and providing evidence that can inform both healthcare providers and policymakers," noted Mark Dredze, a professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University and co-creator of ChoiceWatch.org. "This transparency is essential for ensuring public health.”

Texas has the most crisis pregnancy centers (143), followed by California (126) and Florida (98).

Montana and Wyoming had the highest concentration, with 7.45 and 6.48 crisis pregnancy centers per 100,000 women of reproductive age, respectively, results show.

"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 researcher Hollie Keene, a student research fellow at the Qualcomm Institute at UCSD. Keene noted that progressive states have similar numbers of crisis pregnancy centers as states that heavily restrict abortion.

About 90% of crisis pregnancy center websites advertise social services, including adoption (83%), parenting (62%), post-abortion social support (39%) and men’s social support (14%).

However, a similar percentage (91%) also offer medical services, including pregnancy tests (85%), ultrasounds (77%), STI testing (54%) and abortion education (52%).

Experts found advertising for abortion pill reversal most concerning.

"Healthcare providers should proactively address misinformation about abortion pill reversal during medication abortion counseling," Smith said. "Patients should understand that 'reversal' treatments are neither proven nor recommended and, if complications or concerns arise, they should return to their healthcare team, not a crisis pregnancy center."

However, even the more mundane medical services offered by the centers could be problematic if they’re not performed properly, researchers said.

"Even benign services, such as STI testing, should be provided within a healthcare ecosystem that prioritizes safety and meets regulatory approvals," said lead researcher Karan Desai, a medical student at University of Michigan Ann Arbor Medical School and co-creator of ChoiceWatch.

"It is unclear if trained professionals are providing these medical services, if the diagnostics or treatments meet acceptable standards, or what safety protocols are in place,” Desai added.

More information

Planned Parenthood has more about crisis pregnancy centers.

SOURCE: University of California, San Diego, news release, Dec. 2, 2024