Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. YAKYM. Mr. Speaker, from hearing my Democratic colleagues talk today, it is clear that none of them has ever been to a pregnancy resource center, and they certainly have never used their services.
Mr. Speaker, 17 years ago, my wife, Sallyann, and I found out we were expecting our first child. Sallyann thought she was having some issues with our pregnancy when she was only 7 weeks pregnant. We were young, and we were scared. We didn't have a place to turn until one of her friends suggested that we go to a pregnancy resource center.
We went down to the Women's Care Center in South Bend, where they welcomed us with open and loving arms. They gave her an ultrasound, and for the very first time, we saw our child, who, at that time, was about the size of a peanut. Half of that peanut was a heartbeat. Most importantly, they assured us that our child was okay and would be just fine.
When we went to leave, I had just one question for them: How much do we owe you? They looked at us and they said: Guys, the services that we provide here are free. You can go on your way. They assured us that our baby was healthy, and they gave us such peace of mind.
Here we are, 17 years later, and our daughter Elle is smart. She is beautiful. She is a junior in high school, and we are out looking for colleges. The pregnancy resource center in my community was there for us when we were young and scared, when we had very limited resources, but, unfortunately, if my Democrat colleagues had their way, our healthcare would have been denied.
Why deny the Sallyann Yakym's of the world access to the care that they need? Why deny people like my daughter, Elle, the care to make sure that they are okay?
I wish my friends from the other side of the aisle would simply join me in voting ``yes'' today on this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach), for the introduction of this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
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