WASHINGTON, DC — Today, a new NBC News investigation revealed that the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), one of the largest unregulated pregnancy clinic (UPC) networks in the United States, is advising its member clinics to avoid performing prenatal ultrasounds on women suspected of having ectopic pregnancies. The guidance comes after a Massachusetts lawsuit in which a UPC was accused of misdiagnosing an ectopic pregnancy, leading to a life-threatening emergency for a client.
The investigation highlights ongoing concerns about the regulation and oversight of UPCs nationwide. Debra Rosen, Executive Director of Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch, emphasized the dangers of the current system, saying, “Unregulated pregnancy clinics masquerade as medical facilities, are not covered entities under HIPAA, and for decades have vigorously pushed back against even the most basic forms of accountability. Women nationwide face real harms as these fringe clinics trap them between illusions of confidentiality and the actual legal protections they receive. This dangerous gap demands legislative action.”
The NBC investigation also revealed that many UPCs advertise HIPAA compliance despite not being bound by federal health privacy laws, and that NIFLA opposes legislative efforts in states like Indiana and New Jersey aiming to strengthen licensing requirements for ultrasound procedures.
To schedule an interview with Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch Executive Director Debra Rosen, contact ro@focalpointstrategygroup.com.
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NBC News: Crisis pregnancy centers told to avoid ultrasounds for suspected ectopic pregnancies
- One of the largest [unregulated pregnancy clinic affiliate networks and medical curriculum leaders] in the United States is telling its member clinics to avoid performing prenatal ultrasounds on women who they suspect have ectopic pregnancies, according to recordings obtained by NBC News of a recent presentation by a legal group that advises the faith-based nonprofits. The guidance comes in the wake of a lawsuit against a Massachusetts center that misdiagnosed an ectopic pregnancy.
- The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), a group that provides legal support and medical training for crisis pregnancy centers, advised members at a meeting earlier this year to proceed with caution when giving an ultrasound to a woman they suspect may have an ectopic pregnancy, calling the condition “the greatest medical and legal risk for clinics,” according to the recordings of the presentation that NBC News obtained via a conference attendee.
- During the NIFLA panel, lawyers and a participating doctor advised centers against scanning women they suspect to have ectopic pregnancies at all. After being asked by an audience member about whether to scan a woman with low HCG levels, the hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy, a doctor urged that audience member to turn the woman away and be seen by her medical provider.
- “I’m not scanning. If you’ve got a level that’s low like that, it could be early pregnancy, but that is one of the cardinal signs of ectopic and one of the cardinal signs of miscarriage, slowly rising HCG. Please do not,” said the doctor. “She’s already got a provider. Dump it back on them.” “She should be going back to her provider,” added a legal representative.
- During the panel, a lawyer addressed another controversy facing the centers: federal health privacy laws. While some crisis pregnancy centers do offer limited prenatal care or gynecological services, they’re usually staffed by volunteers and aren’t bound by federal health privacy laws. Yet many of them state in their privacy policies that they comply with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA. NBC News previously reported on letters to state attorneys general about potential privacy issues around centers advertising their services as “HIPAA compliant.”
- Debra Rosen, the executive director of advocacy group Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch, said this approach can be deceptive. “Unregulated pregnancy clinics masquerade as medical facilities, are not covered entities under HIPAA, and for decades have vigorously pushed back against even the most basic forms of accountability,” Rosen said. “Women nationwide face real harms as these fringe clinics trap them between illusions of confidentiality and the actual legal protections they receive. This dangerous gap demands legislative action.”
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