Abortion advocates would have the country believe that pro-lifers only care about the baby while it’s in the womb and have no regard for the mother or the child after it’s born. But the reality is that the pro-life community has created countless resources specifically to care for mom and baby throughout every step of motherhood. The challenge is ensuring moms are aware of the many resources available to them. As we look forward to celebrating the 4-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision later this month, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), in partnership with March for Life Education and Defense Fund, held a Capitol Hill briefing designed to educate staff and their Members of Congress about the resources that their constituents should know about.
A study from the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that 60% of women who had abortions would have preferred to carry their pregnancies to term if they had received greater support, resources, or assistance. We know that this is not because those resources do not exist, but because many women simply and tragically do not know about them. In her opening remarks at the briefing, titled “Empowering Women and Protecting Life,” CWALAC President Penny Nance noted that there are over 2,600 pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) and 19,000 federally qualified health centers. That’s over 20,000 centers that offer a range of services to women versus just 750 abortion clinics. Unfortunately, these often faith-based and non-profit centers do not have the marketing budget of the abortion giants.
That’s one reason the launch of Moms.gov is such an important development in the fight to protect life. Each speaker heavily emphasized the incredible new website, announced by the White House on Mother’s Day. CWALAC has advocated for this initiative for over four years, and now that it’s a reality, we want every woman in the country to know that it’s available to them. The website provides information on everything from nutrition, mental health, breastfeeding, adoption, and material assistance.
Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), herself a young mother with two kids, shared with the nearly 50 attendees about the importance of the website. Not only does it offer a plethora of resources immediately necessary during pregnancy, but it also provides forward-looking supports such as the new Trump Accounts. But she also explained the need to codify it with her bill, the MOMs Act, so that a future administration cannot use the website to promote abortion services or simply take it offline.
Attendees also heard from Jennie Licther, the President of March for Life. Best known for organizing the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration in Washington, D.C., since 1974, March for Life also works closely with PRCs across the country. PRCs are incredibly popular, supported by nearly 84% of Americans, and serve one million women every year, while also saving countless babies. Run almost entirely by volunteers, they provide everything from diapers and clothing to financial assistance, ultrasounds, parenting classes, and much more. Jennie shared a powerful slide show that illustrated how innovative and welcoming many of these centers are, compared to the sterile and often unsafe environments offered by many abortion facilities.
Our prayer is that each staffer who attended the briefing walked away with information to empower the women in their members’ districts and that they were encouraged by the good work being done every day to support moms and their babies. It’s through the tireless efforts of pro-life centers and innovations like Moms.gov that we will get closer to having a culture of life in America once again.
