West Virginia can’t afford to fund fake health clinics

Originally published on March 26, 2026 in West Virginia Watch.

By Ellen Allen

West Virginia is facing one of the worst maternal and infant health crises in the nation. Yet instead of investing more aggressively in prenatal care, rural hospitals, and proven maternal health programs, the state has directed roughly $7 million in taxpayer funding since 2023 to crisis pregnancy centers — organizations that often do not provide licensed medical care.

At a time when access to maternity services is shrinking and infant health outcomes rank near the bottom nationally, those funding decisions raise a fundamental question: Are we investing in policies that improve maternal health, or policies that advance ideology?

The need for real health care investment could not be clearer. According to the 2025 report card from the March of Dimes, West Virginia received an F grade for preterm birth, with more than 13% of babies born prematurely, well above the national average of about 10%. Preterm birth is a major driver of infant mortality and long-term health complications.

Access to care is also shrinking.

Nearly half of West Virginia counties are now considered maternity care deserts, meaning they lack adequate maternity providers or services. Between 2019 and 2020, the state experienced a 10% decline in hospitals offering labor and delivery services. Today, more than 20% of babies in West Virginia are born in maternity care deserts, where pregnant patients often must travel long distances just to give birth.

On average, women in the state travel more than 14 miles and about 20 minutes to reach the nearest birthing hospital, and in some rural counties the trip can stretch nearly 60 miles or more than an hour. More than 22% of women in West Virginia do not have a birthing hospital within a 30-minute drive.

Against this backdrop, the state’s decision to invest millions of public dollars into crisis pregnancy centers deserves closer scrutiny.

Crisis pregnancy centers are typically faith-based nonprofits that say they provide support to pregnant people at no cost. Nationwide, an estimated 2,633 of these centers operate across the United States, including at least 25 in West Virginia.

Some provide diapers, baby clothes, parenting classes, and other forms of material assistance to families. Those services can be helpful. But charity is not health care.

Most crisis pregnancy centers do not provide contraception, cancer screenings, or comprehensive prenatal care. Many are staffed primarily by volunteers and do not employ licensed medical professionals.

Medical researchers and public health experts have also raised concerns that some centers mislead potential clients about the services they provide or present themselves as medical clinics despite lacking proper licensure. Some promote so-called “abortion pill reversal,” a treatment that major medical organizations say is unproven and potentially dangerous.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say claims that medication abortions can be “reversed” are not supported by scientific evidence and do not meet accepted clinical standards. Research on the practice has found insufficient evidence to recommend it, and one clinical trial investigating the treatment was halted early because of safety concerns.

Those concerns surfaced again during the most recent legislative session.

Lawmakers considered a proposal that would have allowed West Virginia’s Mothers and Babies Pregnancy Support Program to cover the costs of abortion pill reversal and promote the treatment through pregnancy centers. The measure overwhelmingly passed the Senate; however it ultimately failed to reach the House floor before the final day of the legislative session.

But the debate highlighted a troubling reality.

Even as West Virginia confronts shrinking access to maternity care, hospital closures, and some of the worst infant health outcomes in the nation, legislative attention continues to focus on proposals that many medical experts say lack credible scientific support.

Meanwhile, the state continues directing millions of taxpayer dollars toward centers that often operate outside the traditional medical system.

West Virginians deserve better.

If public dollars are being spent in the name of maternal and infant health, they should support qualified providers, evidence-based care, and services proven to improve outcomes — expanding prenatal care access, protecting Medicaid coverage, strengthening rural hospitals, and supporting programs like doula services that improve birth outcomes.

West Virginia’s maternal health crisis is real. Public policy should reflect that reality by investing in care that actually improves the health of mothers and babies.