CfA Alerts State AGs to Heartbeat International’s Acknowledgment of Deceptive CPC Statements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2025
Contact: Michael Clauw, mclauw@campaignforaccountability.org, 202.780.5750
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a non-profit watchdog group, wrote to attorneys general in six states, highlighting new information relevant to earlier complaints CfA filed with their offices about apparently deceptive behavior of anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs). In previous letters, CfA highlighted how CPCs frequently claim clients’ personal health information (PHI) is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) when it is not. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed in a least one publicized case that such claims were untrue.
Now, Heartbeat International, with which many HIPAA-invoking CPCs are affiliated, has posted a webpage acknowledging that some of its CPC affiliates may be improperly suggesting that CPC clients’ data is protected under HIPAA. Nevertheless, many CPCs continue to imply consumers’ PHI is protected by HIPAA—potentially in violation of states’ unfair trade and deceptive practices acts.
CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said, “For years, Heartbeat didn’t appear overly concerned that some of its affiliates were actively lying to women about their data being protected by HIPAA. Apparently only now, after CfA has pointed out the potential legal ramifications of these lies, is the organization actively recommending CPCs tell the truth.”
Read CfA’s follow up letters to:
– Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador
– Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
– New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Plakin
– Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill
– Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday
– Washington Attorney General Nick Brown
Campaign for Accountability is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog organization that uses research, litigation, and aggressive communications to expose misconduct and malfeasance in public life and hold those who act at the expense of the public good accountable for their actions.