Medical Oversight at Women's Care Center and Other Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Indiana
Research summary — August 2, 2026
Women's Care Center, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, is one of the largest crisis pregnancy center (CPC) networks in the country, offering free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds at multiple Indiana locations. Centers of this kind operate largely outside the licensing and reporting framework that governs medical clinics. Reporting and public health commentary point to several factors that explain this. Click here.
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Health experts note that pregnancy care centers are not subject to the same licensing and reporting requirements as health centers, even when they offer services such as ultrasound. This classification allows them to operate under a different, less regulated framework than a licensed medical clinic. [1]
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Ultrasounds at crisis pregnancy centers are often performed by non-medical personnel, and the centers are not bound by HIPAA. [2] Investigative reporting has also found wide variation in how thoroughly staff are trained to perform these scans: some sonography training programs used by CPC networks are described as robust, while others require little hands-on experience before staff begin scanning patients. [3]
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While pregnancy centers do employ some licensed medical personnel, much of the day-to-day work is carried out by volunteers, some of whom have no medical background. A medical director may oversee the program's protocols without directly performing or reviewing every ultrasound or pregnancy test. [4]
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This regulatory gap is not incidental. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), a national umbrella group supporting hundreds of faith-based pregnancy centers, has lobbied against state legislation — including bills introduced in Indiana — that would require ultrasounds to be performed only by licensed health care professionals. Internal guidance has also cautioned member centers against publicly claiming they can medically rule out dangerous conditions such as ectopic pregnancy. [5]
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Rather than tightening oversight, the Indiana Senate advanced Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 in 2025, commending the volunteers and staff of pregnancy care centers and calling on state and federal agencies to help fund their medical equipment. Health experts pushed back on the resolution, arguing it further legitimizes centers that, in their view, provide misleading information without matching clinic-level accountability. [1
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The absence of licensing requirements has been linked to concrete harm. A missed ectopic pregnancy diagnosis at an Indiana crisis pregnancy center helped prompt state Representative Maureen Bauer to introduce legislation requiring that ultrasounds be performed only by licensed providers. [5] Separately, public health commentary has noted that these centers offer ultrasound services they may not be licensed to interpret, using the resulting images to discourage abortion rather than for clinical diagnostic purposes. [6]
Sources
[1] WFYI Indianapolis, "Some health experts push back against Indiana Senate resolution recognizing pregnancy care centers," March 2025. https://www.wfyi.org/health/2025-03-11/some-health-experts-push-back-against-indiana-senate-resolution-recognizing-pregnancy-care-centers
[2] rePROs Fight Back, "Abortion, Crisis Pregnancy Centers, and What Else to Watch in Indiana." https://www.reprosfightback.com/episodes-blog/abortion-crisis-pregnancy-centers-and-what-else-to-watch-in-indiana
[3] Stateline / News From The States, "Crisis pregnancy centers fight for ultrasound use in clinics without government oversight," July 2026. https://stateline.org/2026/07/29/crisis-pregnancy-centers-fight-for-ultrasound-use-in-clinics-without-government-oversight/
[4] NBC News, "Crisis pregnancy centers told to avoid ultrasounds for suspected ectopic pregnancies." https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/crisis-pregnancy-centers-prenatal-ultrasound-ectopic-pregnancy-rcna214171
[5] NBC News, "Crisis pregnancy centers told to avoid ultrasounds for suspected ectopic pregnancies" (Indiana legislation detail). https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/crisis-pregnancy-centers-prenatal-ultrasound-ectopic-pregnancy-rcna214171
[6] PMC / National Library of Medicine, "Truth and Transparency in Crisis Pregnancy Centers." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7784822/
How Many Indiana Pregnancy Centers Are Licensed Medical Clinics?
Research summary — August 30, 2026
Bottom Line ......
No public source — state or independent — publishes a count of how many Indiana pregnancy centers are licensed medical clinics, statewide or in Fort Wayne specifically. This gap exists because Indiana does not require a distinct license for "pregnancy center" facilities that don't perform regulated procedures, so there is no registry to count against.
What Is Known
Statewide count of centers (not licensing status)
● Indiana has roughly 100 pregnancy care centers/CPCs in total, per the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map, a research project run by University of Georgia public health researchers. [1]
No state licensing registry for this category
● Most centers fall outside Indiana's medical-facility licensing categories by design, since they don't offer the regulated procedures (e.g., surgical or abortion services) that would trigger a licensing requirement.
The only relevant figure is national, not state-level
● NIFLA, the pregnancy centers' own national umbrella and legal organization, states that of the 1,400–1,800 centers it represents nationwide, 1,100–1,600 operate as licensed medical clinics. [2] NIFLA does not break this ratio out by state, so it cannot be used to estimate Indiana's or Fort Wayne's specific split.
Critics' characterization
● Indiana OB-GYN Amy Caldwell, testifying against Senate Concurrent Resolution 24, described the centers categorically as "non-medical facilities that are not staffed by necessarily licensed practitioners," adding that even where licensed staff are present, it is not in a formal medical capacity. [3]
Fort Wayne specifically
● Women's Care Center alone operates three Fort Wayne locations (Lake Avenue, downtown W. Wayne St., and W. Jefferson Blvd.), plus other independent centers nearby, such as DeKalb Pregnancy Center in Auburn. [4]
● No source found states which, if any, of these specific locations are licensed medical clinics; Women's Care Center's own website describes its ultrasound and testing services without stating a licensure status.
Paths to a Firmer Number
● A public records request to the Indiana Department of Health for any facility licenses tied to these addresses.
● A direct inquiry to Women's Care Center's communications office, since disclosure of this status is not otherwise required.
Sources
[1] WFYI Indianapolis, "Some health experts push back against Indiana Senate resolution recognizing pregnancy care centers," March 2025. https://www.wfyi.org/health/2025-03-11/some-health-experts-push-back-against-indiana-senate-resolution-recognizing-pregnancy-care-centers
[2] NIFLA, "About NIFLA | Providing Legal Counsel for Pro-Life PRCs." https://nifla.org/about-nifla/
[3] Indiana Capital Chronicle, "Resolution honoring pregnancy care centers passes easily," March 2025. https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/03/11/resolution-honoring-pregnancy-care-centers-passes-easily/
[4] Women's Care Center, Fort Wayne (East) location page. https://www.womenscarecenter.org/location/fort-wayne-2910-lake-avenue/
The Pregnancy Center Perspective: How Supporters Defend Their Model
Research summary — August 30, 2026
Overview
Crisis pregnancy centers, their national umbrella organizations, and their legislative allies offer a distinct account of why many centers operate without the same licensing and reporting requirements as medical clinics. This summary lays out that perspective, drawn from public statements, litigation, and legislative testimony, for balance alongside the critical view.
Their Arguments
1. Most member centers describe themselves as licensed, and frame limited-service centers as intentionally narrower in scope
The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), the largest legal and training network for pregnancy centers, states that of the roughly 1,400 to 1,800 centers it represents, over 1,100 to 1,600 operate as licensed medical clinics with a licensed physician serving as medical director. [1] Centers that are not licensed clinics are, in this framing, deliberately offering a narrower tier of services (pregnancy tests, peer counseling, material assistance, parenting classes) rather than practicing medicine without a license.
2. Disclosure mandates are framed as compelled speech, not concealment
In NIFLA v. Becerra (2018), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that California could not require unlicensed pregnancy centers to post disclaimers stating they had no licensed medical provider on staff, nor require licensed centers to advertise the availability of state-funded abortion. [2] NIFLA and allied members of Congress characterized the law as government-compelled speech that forced pro-life organizations to promote a message contrary to their mission, framing their objection as a First Amendment matter rather than a defense of misleading patients. [3]
3. Caution around ultrasound claims is presented as responsible practice
NIFLA's own legal-affairs staff have publicly instructed member centers not to advertise that they can "rule out an ectopic" pregnancy, calling this near impossible with the equipment and staffing typical of a limited-service center. [4] NIFLA also operates training and compliance programs, including its Institute in Limited Obstetric Ultrasound, intended to keep member centers within the legal boundaries of their scope of practice.
4. Indiana's resolution is framed as recognition of a service gap, not deregulation
State Senator Jeff Raatz, author of Indiana Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 (2025), described pregnancy care centers as volunteer-staffed organizations that help guide women "in the direction... they need to go." [5] The resolution itself credits the centers with "unique, positive contributions to the individual lives of women, men, and babies" and calls for state and federal support for their work, arguing they fill a service gap for people seeking support and information outside the abortion-clinic system, largely sustained by donations and volunteer labor. [5] The measure passed the Indiana Senate by a wide margin, 39–9. [6]
A Note on Framing
This summary presents the arguments made by pregnancy center networks, their legal advocates, and supportive legislators in their own terms, for balance alongside critical reporting and public health commentary on the same centers. It does not attempt to adjudicate between the two positions.
Sources
[1] NIFLA, "About NIFLA | Providing Legal Counsel for Pro-Life PRCs." https://nifla.org/about-nifla/
[2] SCOTUSblog, "Opinion analysis: Divided court rules for anti-abortion pregnancy centers in challenge to California law," June 2018. https://www.scotusblog.com/2018/06/opinion-analysis-divided-court-rules-for-anti-abortion-pregnancy-centers-in-challenge-to-california-law/
[3] NIFLA, "NIFLA v. Becerra | Defending Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers." https://nifla.org/nifla-vs-becerra/
[4] Stateline, "Crisis pregnancy centers fight for ultrasound use in clinics without government oversight," July 2026. https://stateline.org/2026/07/29/crisis-pregnancy-centers-fight-for-ultrasound-use-in-clinics-without-government-oversight/
[5] Indiana Capital Chronicle, "Resolution honoring pregnancy care centers passes easily," March 2025. https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/03/11/resolution-honoring-pregnancy-care-centers-passes-easily/
[6] FastDemocracy, "Bill tracking in Indiana - SCR 24 (2025 legislative session)." https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/in/2025/bills/INB00014593/
Facts about Crisis Pregnancy Centers/ Pregnancy Care Centers
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Crisis Pregnancy Centers say they provide no cost healthcare, like free ultrasounds.
The truth: Most Crisis Pregnancy Centers are not state licensed medical facilities. Their staff are not licensed medical professionals, and they are not held to regulatory oversight.
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Crisis Pregnancy Centers say everything you tell them is strictly confidential.
The truth: Crisis Pregnancy Centers are not medically licensed facilities, so HIPPA does not apply to any interactions you have with them.
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Crisis Pregnancy Centers say they provide judgment free “counseling” services.
The truth: They provide misleading and false information about pregnancy and abortion to influence your choice.
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Crisis Pregnancy Centers brand themselves as unbiased healthcare clinics.
The truth: Most Crisis Pregnancy Centers are religiously affiliated and promote anti-contraception and anti-abortion propaganda not supported by medical evidence. Since 2010, your Indiana tax dollars have given $18.25 million to Crisis Pregnancy Centers.