House Republicans Vote to Protect Pregnancy Centers, Support Pregnant College Students

On the eve of the 51st annual March for Life, House Republicans passed two pieces of legislation aimed at protecting pregnancy resource centers and supporting pregnant college students.

The first bill, called Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act or H.R. 6918, would block the Biden administration’s attempt to strip pro-life pregnancy centers of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) — which they have had access to for decades. 

“Congress must stand up for expectant mothers and preserve their access to maternal care. The Biden Administration’s proposed rule could deny women resources like diapers and prenatal care needed for a safe and healthy pregnancy,” Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) said in a press release. 

Not only will it harm pregnant women today and in the future, the proposed rule violates the law. In establishing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, Congress explicitly created flexibility for states to address the unique needs of their populations by prohibiting bureaucrats from dictating how and where to spend program funds so long as they fulfill one of the core goals of the program. I hope that my colleagues will join me in making sure this anti-mother rule never leaves the drawing board.

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Reps. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chair Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced the bill in response to the rule proposed by the Children and Families Administration. 

The rule states in part:

Similarly, programs that only or primarily provide pregnancy counseling to women only after they become pregnant likely do not meet the reasonable person standard because the connection to preventing and reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies is tenuous or non-existent, and therefore do not accomplish purpose three.

States that provide funding for these types of programs, including through entities sometimes known as crisis pregnancy centers or pregnancy resource centers, must be able to show that the expenditure actually accomplishes the TANF purpose, that prior expenditures by the state or another entity for the same or a substantially similar program or activity actually accomplished the TANF purpose, or that there is academic or other research indicating that the expenditure could reasonably be expected to accomplish the TANF purpose.

If pregnancy prevention programming is a part of an ongoing program, such as year round afterschool programming, only those costs associated with delivery of pregnancy prevention should be cost allocated and non-TANF funds used to fund other activities.

According to Fischbach’s office, TANF provides $16.5 billion in federal funding to states for direct cash assistance and non-assistance activities for needy families. 

“Pregnancy centers offer a wide array of services and support for expectant mothers, fathers, and their families. Women who face an unexpected pregnancy should be able to safely go into a facility that is not going to push abortion on them and instead provide them with the education and support they need,” Fischbach said after introducing the bill.

“And yet, the Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a rule that could restrict states from using TANF funding for these important resources, and encourages funding to go to facilities that provide abortions. This is one more example of this Administration’s anti-women, pro-abortion agenda,” she added.

The second bill House Republicans passed is called H.R. 6914 or the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act. The bill, which was authored by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), requires colleges and universities to communicate and distribute information informing pregnant students of their rights, accommodations, and resources available to them.

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“Pregnant women on college campuses should never be pressured into having an abortion, they should be surrounded with support and empowered to continue their education and their pregnancy,” Hinson said after her bill passed.

“Women who choose to complete their studies while pregnant should be an inspiration to us all, and I find it sad that Democrats are so dug in on the pro-abortion agenda that they would oppose providing pregnant women on college campuses with resources. This life-affirming legislation will help save moms and babies and is a vital step toward creating a culture of life in this country,” she continued.

The bill notes that “female students enrolled at institutions of higher education and experiencing an unplanned pregnancy may face pressure that their only option is to receive an abortion or risk academic failure,” and that “[a] significant proportion of abortions in the United States are performed on women of college age who may be unaware of their rights to accommodation and prohibitions against discrimination due to pregnancy under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 or deprived of information about abortion alternatives.”

“Additionally, women on college campuses may fear institutional reprisal, loss of athletic scholarship, and possible negative impact on academic opportunities during the pregnancy and after childbirth,” the bill text states. “An academic disparity exists because of the lack of resources, support, and notifications available for female college students who do not wish to receive an abortion or who carry their unborn babies to term.”

The bill would require colleges to provide several things, including: 

• A list of resources on campus and in the community that exist to help a pregnant student in carrying the baby to term and caring for the baby after birth.
• Information about the accommodations available to help a pregnant student carry the baby to term and parent the baby after birth.
• Information on how to file a complaint with the Department of Education if a student believes there was a violation by the institution of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 on account of such student’s determination to carry a baby to term; and the institution, if a student believes the student has been discriminated against in violation of such title IX on account of the student’s determination to carry a baby to term.
• An email to each enrolled student at the start of each period of study during an academic year; and
• the provision of information — ‘(i) in student handbooks, if any; (ii) at each orientation for enrolled students;  ‘‘(iii) at student health or counseling centers, if any; and (iv) on the publicly available website of the institution of higher education.

“Pregnant college students should never feel like abortion is their only option. The Republican-led House took a huge step in empowering women to choose life by passing this legislation,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said of the bill. “I encourage my Senate colleagues to follow suit and work to ensure young women are aware of all the resources available to them and their babies while pursuing their education.”

H.R. 6918 passed the House by a vote of 214-208 and H.R. 6914 passed 212-207 — both along party lines. The bills will now head to the Senate for further consideration.

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.