A watchdog group, the Campaign for Accountability, has sent letters to attorneys general in five states requesting an investigation into the privacy practices of crisis pregnancy centers. These centers, which aim to dissuade pregnant women from seeking abortions, collect sensitive medical information that may not be protected by health privacy laws due to providing free services. The group is concerned that this information could be used to further anti-abortion goals and potentially violate state consumer protection laws. The centers claim to comply with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, but they are not legally bound by federal health data privacy laws, leaving private health information at risk.
Experts, including biostatistics professor Andrea Swartzendruber and Harvard Law School’s Susannah Baruch, have raised concerns about crisis pregnancy centers collecting sensitive information that could be exploited. These centers have been known to provide misleading or false information to discourage women from seeking abortion care. The rise of crisis pregnancy centers stems from the anti-abortion movement and has resulted in more than 2,500 centers across the country, compared to just over 800 abortion clinics. Efforts to restrict these centers have been met with legal challenges, but questioning their privacy practices could be a more effective approach.
Many crisis pregnancy centers are affiliated with major networks like Care Net and Heartbeat International, using software to collect client information from women seeking their services. While the centers claim to be HIPAA-compliant on their websites, compliance is voluntary and many do not meet the legal definition of a covered entity under the federal privacy law. There are concerns about how the collected data is used and shared within these networks, raising questions about confidentiality and potential breaches of privacy. The Campaign for Accountability has urged attorneys general to investigate why the centers collect sensitive medical information and how they use it.
The Biden administration recently announced new rules to strengthen HIPAA and provide more legal protections for those obtaining or providing abortion care. However, these rules do not apply to crisis pregnancy centers as they do not meet the definition of a covered entity under HIPAA. Past instances, such as the Federal Trade Commission complaint against the period-tracking app Flo, have shown that companies can be penalized for misleading consumers about their data privacy practices. Senate Democrats have also raised concerns about how crisis pregnancy centers use and protect client data, with responses from organizations like Heartbeat International maintaining that the data is secure, safe, and legal.
In conclusion, the privacy practices of crisis pregnancy centers have come under scrutiny from watchdog groups and experts concerned about the potential misuse of sensitive medical information. While these centers claim to comply with federal privacy laws, they are not legally bound by them due to providing free services, raising questions about the protection of client data and potential violations of privacy rights. Efforts to investigate these practices and ensure transparency in how data is collected and shared within these centers could provide more accountability and protection for individuals seeking reproductive health services.
