A pair of Democrats on the Oversight Committee have asked a government watchdog to investigate federal funding for pro-life pregnancy resource centers, sometimes referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers," or CPCs.
Pro-life pregnancy centers provide women with resources they need to carry their babies to term, in many cases, free of charge, and do not provide abortions. Townhall has interviewed women who chose life with the help of the staff at these centers. However, pro-life pregnancy centers have long been a target of Democrats, who claim that these centers dupe women into thinking they can obtain an abortion and are instead talked out of it. In addition, many centers provide Abortion Pill Reversal services for women who’ve started an at-home medication abortion.
In a letter sent on Thursday to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and shared with The Hill, Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) asked for a study into how much federal money pro-life pregnancy centers have received annually and from which federal accounts (via The Hill):
“Given the concerns from medical professionals and reproductive health experts that CPCs are not bound by medical and ethical practice standards and often do not provide medically accurate information or health care, and the resources they do provide are tied to undermining maternal health and access to abortion, we have serious concerns that CPCs continue to receive millions in federal aid with little transparency and accountability to the public,” they wrote.
Recently, a study found that more than 650 CPCs in 49 states and Washington, D.C., received $400 million in federal funding, including block grants, between 2017 and 2023. More than half of the money came from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which distributed more than $280 million to CPCs.
Funding also came from programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Title X Federal Family Planning grants and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency Food and Shelter Program.
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These are the only Democrats going after pro-life centers. Last month, Townhall reported how Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, launched a public education campaign against pro-life pregnancy resource centers.
Healey’s website claimed that pro-life centers cause harm by “deceptive advertising,” “misleading practices,” hiring “untrained staff and volunteers” and spreading “medical misinformation.” The guidance specifically instructs pregnant women to avoid women’s health centers with the word “hope” in the name, because those are often associated with pro-life centers. For women who arrive in person, Healey’s website claims that if the waiting room has “pictures of babies and children,” it likely doesn’t provide abortions.
Healey’s webpage encourages women to file civil rights complaints about these centers. Users can file complaints about specific staff members, as well.
In a statement to Boston.com, Democratic Sen. Ed Markey said that “pregnant people” need access to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.
“In the wake of the Dobbs decision that stripped Americans of their constitutional right to abortion, it is more important than ever that pregnant people are aware of the dangers of anti-abortion centers that mislead and misinform patients, collect and share their most sensitive health data, and dissuade them from making the medical decisions that are right for them,” Markey said in a statement.
“I am proud that Massachusetts is leading the nation in ensuring pregnant people and their families have access to medically accurate information and comprehensive reproductive health care,” he added.
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