Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

While health care providers in the United States are subject to information disclosure provisions under federal law, crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are not required to provide any similar privacy protections. 

A recent investigation showed that umbrella organizations use CPCs to collect and store extensive personal client data to create “digital dossiers” to surveille and attempt to influence decisions made by those who interact with CPCs. This information often includes things like demographic data, sexual and medical histories, and ultrasound photos. A discovery by our state’s Office of Open Records revealed that CPCs sent records that included people’s names, along with the services they received, to Pennsylvania’s publicly funded CPC network.  

On its own, the disclosure of this information is an invasion of privacy. Increased efforts to regulate reproductive health care and vilify women who seek care make access to this information even more troublesome, and potentially dangerous. 

I plan to reintroduce legislation that requires CPCs to keep personal client data confidential except in limited circumstances. Violations will be subject to enforcement under the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. This measure was Senate Bill 1217 in the 2021-22 session, a companion to legislation introduced by Rep. Daley.  

Please join me in protecting our constituents’ confidential information by cosponsoring this legislation.