Anti-abortion pregnancy centres to offer more than ultrasounds and diapers

Pregnancy centres in the US that discourage women from getting abortions have been adding more medical services -- and could be poised to expand further.

The expansion -- ranging from testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections to even providing primary medical care -- has been unfolding for years. It gained steam after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, clearing the way for states to ban abortion.

The push could get more momentum with Planned Parenthood closing some clinics and considering shuttering others following changes to Medicaid.

Planned Parenthood is not just the nation's largest abortion provider,but also offers cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and other reproductive health services.

"We, ultimately, want to replace Planned Parenthood with the services we offer," said Heather Lawless, founder and director of Reliance Center in Lewiston, Idaho.

She said about 40 per cent of patients at the anti-abortion centre are there for reasons unrelated to pregnancy, including some who use the nurse practitioner as a primary caregiver.

The changes have frustrated abortion-rights groups, who, in addition to opposing the centres' anti-abortion messaging, say they lack accountability; refuse to provide birth control; and most offer only limited ultrasounds that cannot be used for diagnosing fetal anomalies because the people conducting them don't have that training. A growing number also offer unproven abortion-pill reversal treatments.