Republican Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger is reintroducing the Pregnancy.gov Act to create a website that provides women with a range of pregnancy and post-natal resources, from adoption information and tax preparation to domestic violence services, based on nothing more than their zip code.
The website, Pregnancy.gov, would be at no-net cost to the government as it would pull together preexisting private and public resources from the local, state and federal level to make a single, cohesive platform for women in need. Pregnancy.gov will not require women and families needing assistance to enter any specific information besides their zip code to find public and private resources available to them.
The co-sponsors of the act are Republican Reps. Brian Babin and Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Sheri Biggs of South Carolina and Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin.
“Nearly 88% of women who had abortions in 2022 were unmarried. Mothers with unexpected pregnancies may be in fear of whether they can get support during pregnancy and after the child is born,” a press release from Harshbarger’s office says. “No mother should ever have to feel alone.”
Using an official website allows the government to funnel its resources, intergovernmental relationships and assistance programs into one location, according to the release. The bill also includes a grant program for states to establish or revamp efforts to aggregate resources for the website. All resources included on Pregnancy.gov would promote alternatives to abortions and discourage the procedure, and organizations that counsel in favor of abortion procedures will be prohibited from receiving grant funding.
The services that would be listed on Pregnancy.gov include:
The services Pregnancy.gov would provide to mothers and families in need based on available resources in their nearby zip codes. (Press Release/Screenshot)
“When you’re blessed with a pregnancy — whether expected or unexpected — you shouldn’t have to scramble for help,” Harshbarger said in the press release. “This bill ensures women have easy access to life-affirming resources, including prenatal care, alternatives to abortion, transportation assistance, support for victims of domestic or sexual violence, and much more.”
The congresswoman listed other privately run programs such as Standing With You, Her Plan and the EnVision Apps as other preexisting resources for women, albeit ones that run on limited resources. Her legislation looks to bridge the gap between pro-life organizations with limited reach and the people who desperately need assistance.
Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life America and Students for Life Action, said in a statement included in the press release that with legislation like Pregnancy.gov being introduced, it is clear the pro-life movement cares about women in unexpected pregnancy situations.
“Many people who advocate for abortion claim the pro-life movement does not care about the woman in the unexpected pregnancy nor the child after they are born. Well, this is clearly far from the truth,” Hawkins said. “The Pregnancy.gov bill would give all women who find themselves in unexpected pregnancies that there are life affirming resources for them. According to the Guttmacher Institute, (the think tank arm for Planned Parenthood) shows that 67% of women who seek abortion were pressured or forced into an abortion. This Pregnancy.gov site is one way to greatly reduce the number of abortions and traumatized mothers who thought they had no other option than to end the life of their own child.”
Penny Nance, the CEO and president of Concerned Women For America, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, said in a statement in the release that women in unexpected pregnancy scenarios need to know “they are not alone.”
“Women facing an unexpected pregnancy need information and they need resources to know they are not alone and have the ability to choose life,” Nance said. “Pregnancy.gov will be a one-stop-shop listing everything from the local pregnancy resource centers to food and nutrition assistance, education opportunities, and adoption and legal services. We are delighted Rep. Harshbarger has championed this legislation and will work to help gain widespread support for women.”
“This legislation has the potential to save countless unborn lives while helping families welcome God’s greatest gift into the world,” Harshbarger said. “I’m proud to lead this effort and continue standing as a strong voice for life.”
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