House Republicans passed two anti-abortion measures on Thursday ahead of the 51st annual March for Life in Washington D.C.
The House voted 214 to 208 along party lines to pass HR 6918, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families act, which seeks to prevent the Department of Health and Human Services from discriminating against pregnancy resource centers.
The House also voted 212-207, with no Democrats voting in favor, for HR 6914, the Pregnant Students Rights Act, which requires colleges and universities to inform female students of their rights under Title IX if they become pregnant and choose to carry their child to term.
In October, the Biden administration proposed a rule to revoke funding for pregnancy resource centers under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF, block grant dollars, saying that they do not meet the goals of the TANF program.
Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), author of HR 6918, said that pregnancy centers “empower women” to raise or give birth to their child rather than choose abortion, therefore warranting funding under TANF.
Pregnancy resource centers, also called crisis pregnancy centers, are highly criticized by abortion advocates and the medical community because they do not provide abortion services or counseling. They do, however, provide material support as well as parental education to women and men facing unplanned pregnancies or financial hardship.
“Unfortunately for women everywhere, the left is shouting lies and inaccuracies at the top of their lungs, calling pregnancy centers a scam,” said Fischbach. “These people have clearly not been to a pregnancy center.”
Fischbach told a story of a constituent who visited a pregnancy resource center when facing an unplanned pregnancy with little support from her family or partner. According to Fischbach, after taking parenting and job prep classes from the resource center, the constituent went on to give birth to a healthy daughter, marry a supportive husband, raise two more children, and earn her master’s degree.
“The problem with these crisis pregnancy centers is that they only have one agenda, and that is to make sure you stay pregnant,” said Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) in opposition to the bill.
Other Democrats referenced that pregnancy resource centers are not under the same regulations for medical accuracy or information privacy as healthcare providers, leaving women vulnerable despite other possible benefits.
Democrats characterized both HR 6914 and HR 6918 as means to advance a nationwide abortion ban along partisan lines.
“The distinction between Democrats and extreme Republicans on the abortion care issue couldn’t be any clearer,” said House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). “It is a decision that should be between a woman, her family, and her doctors, not extreme MAGA Republicans trying to intervene and indoctrinate and influence young women on college campuses all across America.”
Chairwoman of the Education and Workforce Committee Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said on the floor that she was “aghast” by the characterization of HR 6914 by her Democratic colleagues.
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“We want pregnant students to be supported on their campuses… It has nothing to do with a nationwide abortion ban,” said Foxx. “This is not an extreme piece of legislation. It is a sensible piece of legislation, and every person in this body should vote for it if you care about life.”
“We’re not the radical people,” Foxx said on the floor. “We have had a culture of life in this country. I fear it is eroding.”
