Last week, Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch released new research analyzing state allocations of taxpayer funds to unlicensed pregnancy clinics (UPCs), finding that from 2021 to 2024, state legislatures allocated over $513 million to this billion dollar industry.
RHFW also found that:
- Most states whose legislatures fund the UPC industry have banned or restricted abortion care and have maternal and infant mortality rates well above the national average. In funding the industry, legislators often position UPCs as a solution to these crises.
- Legislators sponsoring UPC funding measures publicly oppose abortion care. The same legislators that champion UPC funding publicly identify as “pro-life” and/or have voted for abortion restrictions. State legislatures that fund UPCs have passed some of the most regressive abortion bans and restrictions in the country.
- There is mounting evidence of significant financial waste in the UPC industry. In 2022 (the most recent year with publicly available data) IRS Forms 990 show roughly half the United States-based UPC industry reported over $1.2 billion in expenses while industry leaders reported UPCs delivered goods and services valued at under $370 million.5 Additionally, a growing number of UPC industry investigations have unearthed instances of financial mismanagement, wasteful spending, and misreporting to state officials.
- The UPC industry and its allies obstruct accountability, transparency, and impact analysis. Despite securing increased funds, the UPC industry and its allies (anti-choice lawmakers and conservative legal organizations) have resisted efforts to promote transparency and accountability or to assess the impact of public investments in the industry.
- Voters across the country and political spectrum support oversight of taxpayer dollars invested in the UPC industry. Voters nationwide, no matter political affiliation, are concerned about ongoing taxpayer funding of UPCs with little meaningful oversight, reporting requirements, or impact assessment.
Research by RHFW indicates that the industry reported $1.2 billion in expenditures in 2022 but failed to account for most of these funds, and a recent report revealed that UPCs receive $400 million in federal taxpayer funds. Despite receiving substantial private funding, the industry’s lack of transparency and history of fiscal mismanagement leave taxpayers with little understanding of how public funds are used or why the industry requires increased taxpayer support. Along that vein, US Representatives Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Jamie Raskin (MD-8) recently called on the Government Accountability Office to examine federal funding into UPCs.
Please see the full report here, and for more coverage of the research see below:
The Independent: States funding anti-abortion clinics have some of highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in US, report finds.
The Oklahoman: Oklahoma’s crisis pregnancy centers get a big funding boost from the state.