Nearly a dozen U.S. senators are urging President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remove a federal website that directs pregnant individuals to unregulated anti-abortion centers. In a letter shared exclusively with HuffPost, the 11 senators demanded answers about the administration's new website Moms.gov, launched by the Department of Health and Human Services on Mother's Day.
Website Resources Raise Concerns
The website was intended to offer “resources, information and help for new and expecting mothers.” However, the primary resources listed are 2,750 anti-abortion pregnancy centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), across the country. The letter states, “This raises profound concerns about the health, safety, and privacy of people who access this government website at a time when women’s health and reproductive rights face increasing attacks.” Instead of providing concrete resources, the administration is using the site to highlight anti-abortion CPCs.
Senators Leading the Charge
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spearheaded the letter, joined by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (Wash.), Edward Markey (Mass.), Tina Smith (Minn.), John Hickenlooper (Colo.), Cory Booker (N.J.), and Michael Bennett (Colo.).
Nature of Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Crisis pregnancy centers are often nonmedical, faith-based organizations that aim to coerce patients into continuing pregnancies. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, these clinics are “run by people who operate unethically and with the intention to dissuade, deter, or prevent them from seeking certain reproductive health care options,” including abortion. More than 70% of these centers use deceptive tactics, such as providing scientifically inaccurate information, sharing misinformation about abortion care, and employing nonmedical staff to discuss medical issues. Nearly 40% do not disclose that they do not provide abortion services.
Option Line Partnership
The Moms.gov website connects users to CPCs via a link to Option Line, a call center operated by Heartbeat International, one of the largest anti-abortion pregnancy center networks. The senators demanded the removal of this link and an end to using federal resources to direct Americans to nonmedical anti-abortion centers. Warren told HuffPost, “It’s horrific that the Trump administration is using taxpayer dollars to prop up a website that pushes pregnant women towards non-medical anti-abortion centers.”
Data Privacy Issues
The senators also highlighted data privacy risks, noting that Heartbeat International has a history of jeopardizing women’s health and privacy through data breaches. “At a time when reproductive health data is being used to criminalize women,” the letter reads, “the Administration’s use of federal funds to direct women to a private data-collection system, operated by an anti-abortion organization known to collect and share personal data unrestrained by federal privacy guardrails, is cause for alarm.”
Demand for Information
The senators requested details on the website's creation, including who decided to launch Moms.gov, the terms of the partnership with Option Line, and plans to protect visitor data. The letter sets a July 8 deadline for Trump and Kennedy to respond. “Moms.gov is not about promoting women’s health,” the senators wrote. “It is an attempt to use HHS resources to further strip women of their rights and privacy.”
