Maxwell Frost and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin Seek Information on Federal Funding for Fake Clinics That Spread Abortion Disinformation
Amid Nationwide Attack on Reproductive Health Care, Committee Democrats Want Transparency About Federal Funds Supporting ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost and Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine federal funding awarded to so-called Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), which purport to provide reproductive health care for pregnant people, but often use misinformation, deception, and intimidation to prevent people from obtaining abortions. A recent study found that CPCs receive millions of dollars in federal funding each year.
“We are concerned about certain federally funded organizations that claim to provide reproductive health care for pregnant people but whose ultimate motive, often achieved through deception, misinformation, and intimidation, is to prevent people from accessing abortion care. These organizations, known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) or anti-abortion centers, are often unregulated and lack government oversight. Even though evidence overwhelmingly shows that CPCs are a barrier to health care, studies, including a recent report, found that CPCs continue to receive millions of dollars in federal funding, much of which is difficult for the public to track. We request the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a study on the federal funding that CPCs receive,” wrote Frost and Raskin.
While CPCs promote themselves as legitimate medical clinics, they provide inaccurate and biased anti-abortion information about the options available to those looking to terminate a pregnancy and, in many instances, lie to patients. This deception makes CPCs difficult toregulate and has been proven to delay access to legitimate medical care, increasing risks of health complications for pregnant people. CPCs have been found to specifically target young people, people of color, and low-income people.
Frost and Raskin requested funding data for the three organizations that support the largest number of CPCs in the country: Heartbeat International, Care Net, and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates. Individual centers operated by these groups appear not to be abiding by HIPAA standards that ensure confidentiality of health information and have been the subject of past congressional oversight over the usage of visitors’ personal information.
Click here to read the letter.
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