Reproductive Equity Now Sends Letter to Mass. DPH, EOHHS Calling for Investigation of ‘Your Options Medical’ Anti-Abortion Mobile Unit
New anti-abortion center van planned to launch on Cape Cod to offer so-called ‘immediate’ ultrasound results
BOSTON, Mass. (October 18, 2023) – Reproductive Equity Now, a leading voice for abortion advocacy across New England, today sent a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services calling for an investigation into Your Options Medical licensed clinics, and specifically, the group’s new mobile unit that is preparing to operate on Cape Cod. The letter draws attention to the mobile unit’s potential deceptive advertising practices, and calls for an investigation into whether or not out-of-scope medical care is occuring at these licensed clinics.
The Your Options Medical mobile unit advertises free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds with “immediate” pregnancy results. However, Your Options Medical Executive Director Teresa Larkin stated to the Provincetown Independent that the mobile unit actually offers “preliminary results” and that ultrasound images taken from the van will be sent digitally to a physician, which can take 24 to 48 hours to be read and diagnosed—not immediate results. The letter raises concerns of deceptive advertising, especially for people who may detrimentally rely on the promise of “immediate results” to make time-sensitive medical decisions. If the mobile unit seeks to act on its claim of providing “immediate results,” without a physician or advanced practice registered nurse on-site to immediately diagnose an ultrasound, as the Independent reported, Reproductive Equity Now is calling for an investigation into whether registered nurses could be operating outside of their scope of practice by diagnosing ultrasounds on-site.
“Out-of-scope practice is not only unlawful, but also may result in a misdiagnosis. This can lead to delayed care and life-threatening complications, as is the case in a lawsuit filed against a licensed anti-abortion center in Worcester, in which a woman alleges that a registered nurse at the center acted out of their scope of practice to diagnose her ultrasound and misdiagnosed her ectopic pregnancy,” wrote Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now, in the letter to DPH and HHS. “While Your Options Medical mobile unit has yet to begin operating on Cape Cod, we are alarmed by reporting indicating their plan to make only registered nurses and volunteers available at appointments, while simultaneously advertising ‘immediate results,’ which could set up a scenario for out-of-scope practice and patient endangerment.”
Read Reproductive Equity Now’s full letter to the Department of Public Health and Executive Office of Health and Human Services HERE.
This summer, a Worcester woman filed a class action lawsuit against Clearway Clinic, an anti-abortion center, after she received incorrect ultrasound results from a registered nurse allegedly practicing out of scope. The woman, who was not seen by a Clearway physician despite being given paperwork upon discharge that her care was provided by a medical doctor, was told at Clearway that her pregnancy was viable and in-utero. A month later, the woman was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center where her pregnancy was diagnosed as ectopic. Because of the delay in accessing legitimate reproductive health care, the woman had to undergo life-saving surgery to stop her hemorrhaging that resulted in the loss of her fallopian tube.
Today’s letter comes after Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Robert Goldstein wrote a letter to the Boston Globe encouraging those who have concerns about the “qualifications or safety of care delivered by a nurse or physician” to file a formal complaint to initiate an investigation. People who have had a negative experience with anti-abortion centers can call Reproductive Equity Now’s Abortion Legal Hotline at 833-309-6301 to report their case and be referred to pro bono attorneys. Patients can also file a report with the Attorney General Office’s Civil Rights Division online or at 617-963-2917.
For patients in need of legitimate abortion, reproductive, and sexual health care services, Reproductive Equity Now’s New England Abortion Care Guide identifies your nearest reproductive health care clinic and flags dangerous anti-abortion centers to avoid in your area. Health Imperatives has begun offering medication abortion at seven locations across the Cape and Islands.
BACKGROUND:
Anti-abortion centers, also known as "crisis pregnancy centers," are not legitimate health care providers. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, anti-abortion centers present themselves to be pregnancy health care providers but “actually aim to dissuade people from accessing certain types of reproductive health care, including abortion care and even contraceptive options.” The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office notes that “CPCs do NOT provide comprehensive reproductive healthcare. CPCs are organizations that seek to prevent people from accessing abortion care.”
Anti-abortion centers more than double the number of legitimate abortion clinics in Massachusetts. Reproductive Equity Now’s New England Abortion Care Guide identifies 19 abortion clinics and 39 anti-abortion centers in the Bay State. Anti-abortion centers often position themselves directly next to legitimate clinics to confuse patients.
Massachusetts has allocated major funding to educate residents on the harms of anti-abortion centers. In February of 2023, Governor Maura Healy approved $1 million for a public education campaign to illuminate the dangers of anti-abortion centers for Bay Staters.
###