Expansion of U.S. Pregnancy Centers Amid Abortion Access Decline

Thu Oct 30 2025 21:34:22 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As abortion access wanes across the U.S., pregnancy centers promoting anti-abortion services are ramping up their medical offerings, potentially shifting the landscape of reproductive healthcare in America.

Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, pregnancy centers in the U.S. have been expanding their medical services, which now include treatments for sexually transmitted infections and primary care. This shift comes as many Planned Parenthood clinics are closing due to funding cuts, raising concerns about the accountability and comprehensiveness of care provided by these centers.

Pregnancy centers in the U.S. that discourage women from getting abortions have been adding more medical services — and could be poised to expand further.

The expansion — ranging from testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections to even providing primary medical care — has been unfolding for years. It gained steam after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, clearing the way for states to ban abortion.

The push could get more momentum with Planned Parenthood closing some clinics and considering shuttering others following changes to Medicaid. Planned Parenthood is not just the nation’s largest abortion provider but also offers cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and other reproductive health services.

“We ultimately want to replace Planned Parenthood with the services we offer,” said Heather Lawless, founder and director of Reliance Center in Lewiston, Idaho. She said about 40% of patients at the anti-abortion center are there for reasons unrelated to pregnancy, including some who use the nurse practitioner as a primary caregiver.

The changes have frustrated abortion-rights groups, who, in addition to opposing the centers’ anti-abortion messaging, say they lack accountability; refuse to provide birth control; and that most offer only limited ultrasounds that cannot be used for diagnosing fetal anomalies because the people conducting them don’t have that training.

“There are really bedrock questions,” said Jennifer McKenna, a senior adviser for Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch, “about whether this industry has the clinical infrastructure to provide the medical services it’s currently advertising.”

In Sacramento, California, for instance, Alternatives Pregnancy Center in the last two years has added family practice doctors, a radiologist and a specialist in high-risk pregnancies. Alternatives — an affiliate of Heartbeat International — is some patients’ only health provider.

As of 2024, more than 2,600 anti-abortion pregnancy centers operated in the U.S., up 87 from 2023, according to the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map. Meanwhile, the number of clinics offering abortions has dropped significantly.

This expansion of pregnancy centers coincides with increased taxpayer funding in several Republican-led states, where millions are now directed towards these organizations.

Critics express concern that as the landscape shifts, pregnancy centers may become the only option for women seeking reproductive health services in areas where traditional health clinics are closing.

Advocates for abortion rights argue that there should be regulation and accurate information provided by these centers, rather than ideologically motivated counseling.