Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6918, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act.

Mr. Speaker, pregnancy centers play a vital role in supporting women facing unexpected or unplanned pregnancies. Since the Dobbs ruling, pregnancy centers have been under vicious attack by the radical left, especially in my home State of Illinois.

Why? All for simply loving and supporting vulnerable women. There are approximately 3,000 pregnancy centers across the Nation, serving nearly 2 million mothers, fathers, and families completely free of charge.

In 2019 alone, their services and material assistance totaled over $266 million.

The goal of pregnancy centers is to support the mother and her unborn child. However, they also offer many resources and services, including relationship counseling, prenatal and pregnancy education, pregnancy testing, diapers, and baby clothes, just to name a few.

Women in crisis situations deserve to be protected and supported, period.

Banning funding to pregnancy centers not only discriminates against women but deprives them of the vital care and materials they desperately need, including information on the development of the baby and an ultrasound.

As a volunteer and supporter of crisis pregnancy centers in Illinois, I have seen firsthand how they minister to women in need. Unlike Planned Parenthood, pregnancy centers don't prey upon vulnerable women and coerce them into making decisions they will regret for the rest of their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Fischbach for leading the way to protect the essential work of pregnancy centers, and I look forward to the House swiftly passing this bill.

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