TEXAS — A watchdog organization, Electronic Frontier Foundation, is asking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate crisis pregnancy centers.
They claim the centers are not protecting patients' personal information.
“Regardless on your views on reproductive health care, we should all really agree that privacy is a basic human right,” said Rindala Alajaji, a legislative activist at EFF.
Last month, EFF, wrote letters to four state attorneys general, including Paxton. The nonprofit civil liberties organization is urging Paxton to investigate Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs).
CPCs are operated by religious and other anti-abortion organizations and offer social support services such as prenatal care and ultrasounds.
The legal director of EFF, Corynne McSherry, said to Paxton, “EFF is deeply concerned that people in your state may rely on these representations when they share personal information with these centers and others with similar practices. Accordingly, we respectfully urge your office to investigate whether CPCs in Texas are violating Texas privacy and consumer protection laws by deceiving Texans as to how their private information will be retained and used.”
Alajaji explained why EFF sent a letter.
“The letter that we sent to Attorney General Paxton is a follow-up to a campaign by the by the Campaign for Accountability, where researchers filed multiple complaints urging AGs to investigate crisis pregnancy centers that had misrepresented, either in their intake forms or on their websites, that any information that a patient provides would be covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which is also known as HIPAA.”
But a statement from Texas Alliance for Life says CPCs “are in compliance” with HIPPA law.
Their statement reads in part:
“To our understanding, it is standard practice for pregnancy centers to adhere to strict client confidentiality policies, including compliance with HIPAA, even in cases where it is not legally required. Additionally, pregnancy centers receiving funding through the Thriving Texas Families Program are explicitly required to follow HIPAA guidelines. The real concern should not be unfounded attacks on these life-affirming organizations, but ensuring that women have access to the full range of resources and support they need during pregnancy and beyond.”
According to the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map, there are 205 crisis pregnancy centers within the state of Texas. That’s the highest number than any state in the nation.