INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana lawmakers are currently working on a resolution aimed at encouraging government agencies to assist "pregnancy care centers" in acquiring medical equipment. These crisis pregnancy centers offer free resources for expecting women and families, but medical professionals express concern that such recognition could lead to confusion among patients regarding the centers' medical credentials.
"We don't provide medical care, but we do provide ultrasounds and medical grade pregnancy tests and things like that," said Brian Current, president of the Indiana Association of Pregnancy Centers.
The organizationoversees approximately 80 centers statewide, which also provide maternity clothing, baby supplies, and other essential items.
"One misconception is that we are in a political sphere, and we have no political leanings whatsoever; we just want to serve those ladies that are in our community," Current added.
While that may be the case for the centers Current represents, Dr. Amy Caldwell, a board certified OBGYN with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, warns that not all pregnancy care centers operate uniformly. Caldwell has encountered patients who received ultrasounds from these facilities and were misinformed about critical medical conditions.
"I have had patients personally who have come in with ultrasounds from these facilities, and they have missed things like ectopic pregnancies," Caldwelll said. "They have missed things like molar pregnancies, they've missed things like significant birth defects."
She says she has even experienced situations where these centers have told women their pregnancies are viable when they are having a miscarriage.
She testified against the resolution, noting that its impact, while primarily symbolic, raised concerns about the wording that suggests federal and state agencies should grant medical equipment assistance to centers that are not licensed medical facilities.
Dr. Tracey Wilkinson from the Good Trouble Coalition echoed these concerns, emphasizing the lack of regulation among these centers.
"The problem is that these centers aren't licensed or regulated. So while there might be some centers that might have consulting clinicians involved, that's not clear to the person who walks in the door that this is not a healthcare center," Wilkinson said.
Additionally, the current state budget includes a line item that would allocate $4 million over two years to a pregnancy resource service center called "Real Alternatives." That organization is not affiliated with the Indiana Association of Pregnancy Centers. Some public health doctors and OB-GYNs argue that these funds could be more effectively utilized within the Medicaid budget.
