Crisis pregnancy centers told to avoid ultrasounds for suspected ectopic pregnancies [View all]
Source: NBC News
June 23, 2025, 5:30 AM EDT
One of the largest crisis pregnancy center support groups in the United States is telling its member clinics to avoid performing prenatal ultrasounds on women who they suspect have ectopic pregnancies, according to recordings obtained by NBC News of a recent presentation by a legal group that advises the faith-based nonprofits. The guidance comes in the wake of a lawsuit against a Massachusetts center that misdiagnosed an ectopic pregnancy.
The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), a group that provides legal support and medical training for crisis pregnancy centers, advised members at a meeting earlier this year to proceed with caution when giving an ultrasound to a woman they suspect may have an ectopic pregnancy, calling the condition “the greatest medical and legal risk for clinics,” according to the recordings of the presentation that NBC News obtained via a conference attendee.
“I do not want to see on any website or advertising is, ‘Come to us and we’ll rule out an ectopic,” said a representative for NIFLA. “It is impossible to rule out an ectopic unless you’re doing HCG,” they added, referring to a blood test that measures hormone levels to confirm a pregnancy.
In the Massachusetts lawsuit filed in 2023, a crisis pregnancy center was accused of failing to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy and causing a life-threatening emergency for a client. The complaint alleged that Clearway Clinic engaged in deceptive advertising, aiming to persuade women to forgo abortions rather than “providing them with the range of medically appropriate options.”
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/crisis-pregnancy-centers-prenatal-ultrasound-ectopic-pregnancy-rcna214171
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