Abstract
Objective
Most states with 24-h waiting periods prior to abortion provide state resource directories
to women seeking abortion. Our objective was to evaluate the information on abortion
provided on the websites of crisis pregnancy centers listed in these resource directories.
Study design
We performed a survey of the websites of crisis pregnancy centers referenced in state
resource directories for pregnant women. We searched for these state-provided resource
directories online. We contacted state Departments of Health and Human Services for
a print copy when a directory could not be found online. The crisis pregnancy center
websites were evaluated for the information provided on abortion. Standardized data
collection tools were used. Descriptive statistics were generated.
Results
Resource directories of 12 states were procured. A total of 254 websites referring
to 348 crisis pregnancy centers were identified. Overall, a total of 203/254 [80%,
95% confidence interval (CI) 75%–84%] of websites provided at least one false or misleading
piece of information. The most common misleading or false information included on
the websites were a declared link between abortion and mental health risks (122/254
sites; 48%, 95% CI 42%–54%), preterm birth (54/254; 21%, 95% CI 17%–27%), breast cancer
(51/254; 20%, 95% CI 16%–25%) and future infertility (32/254; 13%, 95% CI 9%–17%).
Conclusion
Most crisis pregnancy centers listed in state resource directories for pregnant women
provide misleading or false information regarding the risks of abortion. States should
not list agencies that provide inaccurate information as resources in their directories.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 12, 2014
Accepted:
July 8,
2014
Received in revised form:
June 16,
2014
Received:
January 28,
2014
Footnotes
☆Presented at the Society of Family Planning Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, October 27–28, 2012.
☆☆Implications: Eighty percent of crisis pregnancy centers listed in state resource directories for pregnant women provide misleading or false information regarding abortion.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
