Amid a new wave of restrictive laws and looming Supreme Court battles, one important aspect of America’s abortion wars has gone mostly unnoticed: how some anti-abortion groups are using patients’ private health information to promote their social agenda – affecting reproductive options for women around the U.S.
According to researchers, people seeking reproductive services may be unwittingly sharing sensitive information when they make contact – in person or online – with so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” many of which are run by anti-abortion organizations. In some states, these centers vastly outnumber abortion and family planning providers. And although these facilities often resemble licensed medical clinics, they aren’t always required to follow health privacy laws that regulate how personal health information is collected and shared.
As a result, people seeking abortions might hand over data they wrongly assume is protected by law.
You can help Reveal investigate how anti-abortion groups may be using your most sensitive medical information without your knowledge or consent.
If you’ve ever contacted a crisis pregnancy center by phone or online, searched for information, or attended an appointment, we’d like to know what happened next. Did you start seeing ads for adoption or baby-related products in your social media feeds? Were you targeted for outreach via email? Did you receive phone calls? In-person visits?
To tell us about your experience, please use the form below. We guarantee that we will never publish your name, personal information or details of your experience without your consent. Only a small group of Reveal reporters and editors will have access to your full responses.
Did you share personal information with a ‘crisis pregnancy center’? Tell us what happened next.
Powered by CityBase Screendoor.Byard Duncan can be reached at bduncan@revealnews.org, and Grace Oldham can be reached at goldham@revealnews.org. Follow them on Twitter: @ByardDuncan and @grace_c_oldham.
Did You Share Personal Information With a ‘Crisis Pregnancy Center’? Tell Us What Happened Next. is a story from Reveal. Reveal is a registered trademark of The Center for Investigative Reporting and is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
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