NEW YORK — Campaign for Accountability sent a letter to New York Attorney General Leticia James requesting an investigation into whether crisis pregnancy centers in New York are fraudulently advertising their ability to diagnose ectopic pregnancies. A single ultrasound cannot determine whether a pregnancy is ectopic.

The nonprofit watchdog organization found 100 examples in 49 states of pregnancy centers using language on their websites about how they can "rule out" ectopic pregnancies. The letter states, "By leading patients to believe that their services are adequate substitutes for medical diagnoses, [crisis pregnancy centers] may cause women to forgo comprehensive medical care, resulting in their suffering grievous bodily injury." Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of Campaign for Accountability, said, "They were told that their pregnancies were viable or told that everything was fine," and later the women found themselves in the hospital with an ectopic pregnancy that was not diagnosed by the crisis pregnancy center. She added, "We're hoping that by continuing to expose this issue, that there will be additional attention to it, and that perhaps these centers will do the right thing and stop trying to make claims to women about things that they can't actually do."

Ectopic pregnancy is a complication that happens when an embryo implants outside of the uterus. If an ectopic pregnancy implants in a fallopian tube, the tube can rupture, which can be life threatening. Crisis pregnancy centers generally aim to prevent people from having abortions. Staff at these centers are often volunteers who may or may not have medical training, though some wear scrubs or white coats and have clients fill out medical questionnaires.

The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), a membership organization for crisis pregnancy centers, advises its members not to promise to "rule out" ectopic pregnancies. Anne O'Connor, Vice President of Legal Affairs at NIFLA, advised in a webinar last year, "Do not advertise, 'We can rule out an ectopic.'" She stated, "We really don't like to see that language because it is near impossible to rule out an ectopic." O'Connor explained that diagnosing an ectopic pregnancy requires multiple blood tests and multiple ultrasounds. She suggested centers use language such as, "We're doing the ultrasound to see if the fetus is in the womb where it's supposed to be."

According to a 2024 estimate from the Government Accountability Office, there are approximately 2,500 crisis pregnancy centers across the country. Many of these centers are Christian organizations.