Imagine that you just found out you are pregnant and decided to seek abortion care. A quick online search for a provider leads you to a clinic conveniently next to the CVS you visit downtown. Once you arrive at the office, staff in scrubs greet you warmly, hand over intake forms, and escort you to a private exam room. Everything appears clinical and professional, but once you tell the staffer you are there for an abortion, the tone shifts. The employee warns you of the many risks related to terminating a pregnancy—claims that are medically inaccurate[i]—and sends you home with pamphlets promoting abstinence, Christianity, and adoption. What began as a search for reproductive care becomes a traumatizing experience shaped by misinformation and emotional manipulation.
Only later do you realize you were not at a medical center, but a crisis pregnancy center (CPC)—entities that present as legitimate healthcare clinics but are actually organizations that attempt to dissuade people from accessing abortions and contraception. For many women, especially in areas where legitimate providers are scarce, this experience is not an anomaly but the result of CPCs being shielded by constitutional protections that make oversight difficult.
How We Got Here
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot require certain disclosures from crisis pregnancy centers because it violates their right to freedom of speech, [ii] states’ authority to regulate how these centers operate has been significantly limited. As a result, these centers are able to mislead patients and obscure their true intent in an environment that would otherwise demand transparency around medical licenses and services.
National data indicate that since this decision, the number of CPCs nationwide has continued to grow, and many have expanded the medical and material services they offer, enabling them to attract more patients and deepen their influence.[iii] This dynamic is pronounced in Wisconsin, where CPCs far outnumber abortion clinics.[iv] The state has 54 CPCs, located in half of all counties, but only five abortion clinics. [v] CPCs exploit these service gaps and attract clients by providing free prenatal services and pregnancy-related material resources, such as diapers, formula, clothing, and strollers, that would otherwise remain inaccessible, particularly for low-income women, people of color, and youth.[vi]
In 2026, CPCs have an even greater opportunity to expand their reach in Wisconsin due to intersecting federal and state dynamics. At the federal level, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans passed a budget bill that “defunded” Planned Parenthood and cut federal Medicaid funding for the organization.[vii] This forced Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) to temporarily suspend abortion services—leaving only two abortion clinics in Milwaukee open late last year.[viii]
At the state level, the GOP-controlled legislature consistently opposes reproductive healthcare legislation and has introduced numerous bills to inhibit reproductive rights, such as Assembly Bill 546, Senate Bill 553, and the Clean Water for All Act.[ix] Further, they have allowed public resources to support CPCs. In Wisconsin, taxpayer dollars help fund the centers through “Choose Life” license plates, and the Senate has previously earmarked $1 million towards CPCs.[x] Together, this creates an environment where progress on reproductive healthcare access is severely constrained, giving CPCs greater ability to operate and reach patients.
With legislative solutions effectively blocked at both the federal and state levels, the Wisconsin Governor’s Office is the only viable avenue for change on CPCs in the state. Current Governor Tony Evers, a pro-choice Democrat, is uniquely positioned to utilize his executive authority to limit the reach and impact of crisis pregnancy centers through unilateral action.
The urgency for action is heightened with a competitive gubernatorial race underway in Wisconsin. If the governorship flips to Republican control, meaningful progress on this issue would likely be impossible. In this context, executive action in 2026 is essential to protect women and pregnant people from CPCs’ deceptive practices, ensure access to accurate medical information, and safeguard reproductive healthcare.
The Path Forward
With this limited window for change, the governor must advance efforts to bolster reproductive health and combat CPCs by January 2027, before his current term concludes. To mitigate the harms associated with crisis pregnancy centers, Governor Evers can and should leverage his existing executive authority through a comprehensive, coordinated strategy that strengthens oversight and patient protections. Central to this approach is using his power to direct state agencies, allocate discretionary resources, and partner with stakeholders to ensure the initiative is both politically and operationally viable.
Governor Evers should first direct Attorney General Josh Kaul to issue a statewide consumer alert about CPCs and patients’ rights, clarifying that crisis pregnancy centers are not licensed medical facilities and provide misleading information about reproductive health. Kaul, a significant champion for women’s healthcare, has aligned Wisconsin with a multi-state coalition that supports the use of Title X funds to provide family planning services for low-income and uninsured individuals,[xi] making him a natural partner on this issue.
Under Kaul’s jurisdiction, the Wisconsin Department of Justice should establish an online complaint portal that allows residents to file civil rights complaints against CPCs, increasing transparency and accountability.[xii] This approach is grounded in precedents set by California and Massachusetts, which have used consumer complaint portals[xiii] and public advisories to advertise CPCs’ deceptive practices,[xiv] increase accountability, and support enforcement under consumer protection laws. The implementation of these mechanisms in other states demonstrates how complaint portals and public advisories can serve as practical tools to deter CPCs, providing a replicable and tested model for Wisconsin.
Beyond the DOJ, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) represents another critical avenue for action, and should launch a centralized webpage providing accurate, evidence-based information about CPCs for both patients and healthcare providers. The state can issue formal guidance encouraging healthcare providers to display informational posters explaining the true aims of CPCs, ensuring that patients encounter accurate information at key points of care.[xv] This approach counters anti-abortion clinics’ deceptive messaging while leveraging healthcare providers on the front lines of service delivery who directly interact with patients and can utilize the new public resources to warn patients about CPCs.
However, it is essential to note that funding is often the key to implementing and sustaining meaningful reforms. Therefore, beyond directing state agencies, Governor Evers should issue an Executive Order creating the Office of Women’s & Reproductive Health (OWRH) within DHS dedicated to statewide education and programming, including initiatives to combat CPCs. Utilizing his executive authority over discretionary federal funds,[xvi] the office’s funding could come from the interest accrued on unallocated federal COVID-relief funds (~$4 million), which expire in December 2026.[xvii] Although critics may argue that these funds could support other initiatives, investing them in OWRH offers the most immediate and impactful way to protect reproductive rights in an otherwise constrained environment.
To maximize the success of this intervention, OWRH’s initiatives should include 1) visiting college campuses and technical colleges to educate students on what CPCs are, the risks they pose, and how to access comprehensive reproductive healthcare; 2) running a public education campaign highlighting the dangers of anti-abortion centers;[xviii] and 3) creating a hotline in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office, advocates, and private law firms, to help connect Wisconsin health care providers and patients with free advice and resources about their rights to access and provide lawful abortions.[xix]
This whole-of-government strategy combines cross-agency coordination, institutional capacity, and discretionary funding to maximize impact. Beyond the executive branch, the strategy relies on leading reproductive rights organizations, like PPWI, the Wisconsin Abortion Fund, and the Wisconsin Abortion Support Network, to further serve as implementation partners to amplify the reach of the government’s new initiatives. Together, this approach bolsters public education, patient protections, and accountability, all while prioritizing reproductive rights at a time when options are both increasingly limited and increasingly urgent.
A Strategy that Delivers for Wisconsin
Wisconsin must prioritize a long-term, institutionalized solution to CPCs, utilizing the Governor’s regulatory and executive authority. While acknowledging that this is a major undertaking, it will (1) gain significant support from Wisconsin residents, the majority of whom support abortion access,[xx] on a key issue ahead of the 2026 election (political viability), (2) generate significant movement on CPCs and reproductive healthcare due to its funding source (fiscal authority), and (3) will have the greatest positive effect on women and patients throughout the state (patient impact). Together, this will enable the Governor to deliver measurable improvements in access, awareness, and outcomes while providing a scalable model for statewide reproductive health policy implementation.
[i] Katelyn Burns, “I Went Undercover at a Crisis Pregnancy Center,” Ms., December 15, 2022.
[ii] National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, No. 16-1140, 585 U.S. 755 (2018).
[iii] ix. “News & Updates,” Crisis Pregnancy Center Map.
[iv] Teresa JK Yang et al., “Prevalence of Crisis Pregnancy Center Attendance Among Women in Four U.S. States,” PLoS One 20, no. 6 (2025): e0324228.
[v] University of Wisconsin, Madison, “Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the U.S. and Wisconsin, 2023.”
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] “Crisis Pregnancy Centers Netted $1.4 Billion in Revenue in 2022, Memo Shows,” Wisconsin Independent.
[viii] University of Wisconsin, Madison, “Abortion Care Resumed at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin After Pause,” November 5, 2025.
[ix] “Vos Blocks Bill to Expand Medicaid Funds for New Moms in Wisconsin,” PBS Wisconsin.
[x] “Crisis Pregnancy Centers Netted $1.4 Billion in Revenue in 2022, Memo Shows,” Wisconsin Independent.
[xi] Melanie Conklin, “AG Kaul Joins Fight Against Trump Administration’s Reproductive Care ‘Gag Rule,'” Wisconsin Examiner.
[xii] Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, “AG Healey Warns Patients About Crisis Pregnancy Centers,” July 7, 2022.
[xiii] Crisis Pregnancy Center Complaint, California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General.
[xiv] Avoid Anti-Abortion Centers,” Mass.gov (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services).
[xv] Mass.gov, “Information about Anti-Abortion Centers for Health Care Providers,” accessed October 18, 2025.
[xvi] “Wisconsin Voters Said No to Restricting the Governor’s Power over Federal Funds,” NPR, August 14, 2024.
[xvii] Elijah Guevara, “Wimberger: $4M of Evers ‘Slush Fund’ Leftover Despite Budget Deal,” Center Square, July 3, 2025.
[xviii] Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, “Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches First-in-the-Nation Public Education Campaign on the Dangers of Anti-Abortion Centers,” June 10, 2024.
[xix] Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, “Hotline.”
[xx] “Survey Finds Majority of Wisconsinites Support Planned Parenthood and Abortion Access,” Wisconsin Examiner, June 10, 2025.