FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Matt Hadrohumancoalition@pinkston.co
February 13, 2024, WASHINGTON, DC — Last week the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act was introduced in the Senate. Human Coalition welcomes the introduction of the Act and calls on the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to swiftly advance the bill.
This legislation, introduced by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) would ensure that pregnancy centers are not deprived of as much as $40 million in funding under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. It is the companion bill to the legislation passed by the U.S. House on January 19.
Chelsey Youman, National Director of Public Policy with Human Coalition, issued the following statement in favor of the bill:
“Pregnancy centers are often the only lifeline that vulnerable women have when they realize they do not want an abortion. Of the women seeking abortion that we see at Human Coalition centers, 76% of them would prefer to parent if their circumstances were different. They feel like abortion is their only option because they lack the financial, material, and social support to parent. Pregnancy Centers provide them with this life-affirming network of care and support, and we should absolutely be funding this critical work that strengthens families and empowers women.
“There are nearly 3,000 pregnancy centers nationwide that serve nearly 975,000 families, offering medical, financial, and material needs in underserved communities and health care deserts. This is what a real safety net looks like – we cannot leave these families out in the cold by cutting this lifeline. I am grateful to Sen. Scott for introducing this bill, and I call on members of both parties to advance it and support critical care to women.”
The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act would restore the flexibility offered to states by the original law that created the TANF program. It also recognizes the critical role that pregnancy centers play in meeting some or all of the stated goals of the TANF program: Providing aid to needy families, promoting job preparation and marriage, preventing out-of-wedlock births, and encouraging two-parent families.
About Human Coalition
Human Coalition is one of the largest pro-life, pro-woman, and pro-family organizations in the country, committed to making abortion unthinkable and unnecessary. Founded in 2009, Human Coalition has grown from a simple internet outreach idea into a comprehensive care network that reaches women facing unexpected pregnancies, rescues innocent preborn children from abortion, and restores families to stability.