A free family planning center in Twin Falls, Idaho, is under scrutiny after documents obtained by NBC News shed light on its invasive practices, revealing that it asks women for sensitive, non-medical information. The Sage Women’s Center, which offers pregnancy services, requires clients to disclose personal details about their religion and financial situation—questions that many consumer advocates argue go beyond typical medical inquiries.
While Sage Women’s Center claims it maintains strict confidentiality, the center is not bound by federal health privacy laws, leaving some to question whether it misleads women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. These centers, known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), are designed to discourage abortion, offering counseling and pregnancy-related services. However, experts say these centers use misleading and often coercive techniques to influence women’s decisions.
The client intake forms, which were revealed by the Campaign for Accountability—a progressive watchdog group—give rare insight into the internal practices of CPCs like Sage. These forms contain ambiguous language, often blurring the lines between medical care and anti-abortion messaging. The group raised concerns in April by asking attorney generals from five states to investigate these centers, arguing that they often mislead women into believing their private health data is protected under strict laws like HIPAA.
In response to this request, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office provided the intake forms from Sage Women’s Center. While Labrador’s office has not publicly commented on the investigation, the documents show that the center’s intake forms ask detailed questions about a woman’s previous pregnancies, religious beliefs, and even the father’s opinions on the pregnancy outcome. The forms also feature a scoring system designed to assess whether a woman is “abortion vulnerable,” signaling to staff how to approach the situation.
Further complicating matters, the center’s privacy policy indicates that it may share a woman’s information under various circumstances, including “if we believe or hear that you are in danger of hurting yourself or others.” Experts have raised concerns that this could mean a woman’s decision to have an abortion may be deemed harmful to others, triggering the disclosure of her personal details.
The crisis pregnancy center’s practices are consistent with a larger, nationwide trend. Many of these centers are affiliated with anti-abortion networks, such as Heartbeat International and Care Net. These networks have been accused of using coercive and invasive methods to delay or prevent women from seeking abortions.
While Sage Women’s Center claims its services are voluntary and confidential, the tactics it employs—such as pressuring women to reconsider abortion and gathering personal details that may be used against them—raise serious ethical questions. As the debate over reproductive rights intensifies, experts continue to warn that these centers may be deceiving vulnerable women and undermining their healthcare options.
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