Critics decry new 'Moms.gov' site as deceptive data collection tool
A new government-run website that aims to provide resources for pregnant women is drawing criticism from abortion-rights advocates, who call Moms.gov a data-collection tool for the anti-abortion movement.
The website redirects users to Option Line, a pregnancy help service run by Heartbeat International, the country’s largest network of crisis pregnancy centers. Laurie Veninger, a reproductive-rights activist and organizer with the Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition, said those centers often lack medical staff and use deceptive practices to discourage women from seeking abortions.
“They are trying to elevate and promote essentially fake medical centers to replace real health care for women,” Veninger said.
The Trump administration says the site offers help for women facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies. The site also includes links to federally qualified health centers.
Massachusetts officials advise residents to seek reproductive health care from licensed medical providers.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former TV personality now serving as head of Medicare and Medicaid Services, has said one in three American women is “under-babied” and has touted the new website along with financial incentives to help increase the birthrate.
Veninger said crisis pregnancy centers listed on the site often lure low-income women with free testing, ultrasounds and baby supplies. She said they also gather sensitive data that could be used to track pregnancies.
“They're not bound to keep it private, and you can just imagine what ICE might do in an immigrant community or red state attorney generals might do following women traveling to abortion centers or places outside of their state for abortion care,” Veninger said.
Several municipalities in Massachusetts have passed local ordinances to prevent crisis pregnancy centers from setting up shop. The state Department of Public Health has also issued advisories and launched a public awareness campaign.
Veninger said blue states such as Massachusetts are not immune to efforts to restrict abortion access. Crisis pregnancy centers outnumber licensed abortion clinics in the state by a ratio of 3-to-1.
