Crisis pregnancy center's forms give rare insight into anti-abortion practices
A free family planning center in Twin Falls, Idaho, asks its visitors for sensitive, private information, including nonmedical questions about religion and financial status, according to documents obtained by NBC News.
A free family planning center in Twin Falls, Idaho, asks its visitors for sensitive, private information, including nonmedical questions about religion and financial status, according to documents obtained by NBC News.
While the Sage Women’s Center promises to protect the information of its clients, it isn’t bound by medical privacy laws and may be misleading women who are coping with unplanned pregnancies, consumer advocates say.
Crisis pregnancy centers like Sage offer counseling and other services to pregnant women while trying to persuade them not to have an abortion. The questionnaires, known as client intake forms, give rare insight into the practices of Sage and other crisis pregnancy centers and how they use ambiguous language to describe their services.
The forms were provided to NBC News by the Campaign for Accountability, a progressive watchdog group, after it sent a letter to the Idaho attorney general raising concerns about the center, which advertises itself as a resource for pregnant women.
In April, the group asked attorneys general of five states to investigate crisis pregnancy centers, including Sage Women’s Center, arguing that the organizations are misleading clients with claims that their personal medical data is protected by health privacy laws.
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