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A controversial state-run webpage targeting pro-life pregnancy centers in Pennsylvania has quietly disappeared, signaling a shift under new leadership and offering hope to advocates across the state.
The webpage, launched in 2023 under former Attorney General Michelle Henry, had encouraged the public to report so-called “deceptive” activity by pro-life pregnancy resource centers, LiveAction reported.
Advocates say it was part of a broader effort to discredit the work of these centers and discourage women from seeking life-affirming alternatives to abortion. Now, under new leadership, the site is gone.
David Sunday, a pro-life candidate who was elected attorney general of the state in November 2024, had not publicly commented on the webpage. But weeks after two pro-life leaders met with his staff to raise concerns about the site and its flawed basis, the page disappeared — replaced by a generic “Oops! That page cannot be found.”
Jill Hartman, executive director of A Woman’s Concern in Lancaster, and Jon Merwarth, head of Bright Hope Support Centers in Allentown, had brought their concerns directly to the attorney general’s council April 15.
Representing the Pennsylvania Pregnancy Wellness Collaborative (PPWC), they came prepared with data, including a newly published study highlighting the broad reach and medical professionalism of the state’s pregnancy centers.
The attorney general’s office did not respond to requests for comment, but for pro-life leaders, the message is clear.
“We are just so pleased,” Hartman said, describing the timing of the site’s removal coming just days after PPWC’s Day of Advocacy at the state capitol.
Pro-life leaders had long raised concerns that the original site was rooted in a narrative pushed by abortion-aligned activists, according to LiveAction. Henry publicly justified the webpage by citing claims that pregnancy centers were unlicensed and misleading — claims largely drawn from a 2022 publication by a progressive coalition titled Designed to Deceive.
That report accused centers in nine states, including Pennsylvania, of misusing terms such as “choice” and “options” and creating deceptive advertisements.
Hartman said she was not aware of any complaints being registered or investigated through the webpage before it was taken down. She believes its primary purpose was never to serve the public but to cast suspicion on the work of centers committed to helping women choose life.
“It’s fine if you do not agree with us,” she said. “What’s not fine is that you lie about us.”
Pro-abortion Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration was behind the now-removed webpage that targeted pregnancy centers. CatholicVote previously reported that in March, the administration announced a $1.3 million pilot program in Clinton County offering services similar to those long provided by the very centers it had sought to discredit.
