Under a proposed rule by President Joe Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services, states may longer be able to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to keep pro-life pregnancy resource centers open.
According to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the rule proposed by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra will impact four states that use these funds towards pregnancy resource centers: Missouri, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Indiana (via SBA Pro-Life America):
The Biden administration’s move goes against recent polling which underscores the popularity of pregnancy resource centers. A Creative Response Concepts poll found 74% are in favor of publicly funding these centers.
The four states individually utilize between $1-7 million of TANF dollars to fund pregnancy centers in a year. According to SBA Pro-Life America State Policy Director Katie Daniel, the amount is a drop in the bucket compared to Planned Parenthood, which received $670.4 million of federal and state taxpayer dollars in 2021-2022:
“Biden’s twisted attempt to hinder pregnancy centers’ ability to serve women in need demonstrates his administration is not pro-choice, but pro-abortion. Sixty percent of women who have had abortions say they would have preferred to give birth if they had more financial or emotional support. Yet, Democrats have gone out of their way to ensure women facing unexpected pregnancies are steered toward only one option – abortion.”
Townhall previously reported how pro-life pregnancy resource centers were targeted by pro-abortion supporters, like the group Jane’s Revenge, after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization opinion leaked in 2022. After the final ruling came out, pro-abortion lawmakers began circulating baseless, dishonest rhetoric surrounding crisis pregnancy centers as they were subject to attacks. Months went by before Biden’s Department of Justice announced it would look into the attacks on the pro-life clinics. According to CatholicVote, there’s been 88 attacks on pregnancy centers and pro-life groups since the Dobbs leak.
“Our clinic serves over 150 families each year. When a woman with an unexpected pregnancy first walks through our doors we welcome her with open arms and assist her in every way we can for almost two years – from free ultrasounds, medical exams, and counseling, to food, diapers, furniture, and clothing after her baby is born,” an executive director of a pregnancy center told SBA Pro-Life America on the condition of anonymity.
“We offer mentoring, educational programs and financial assistance too during that time – help with housing, transportation, utilities, and even college tuition. It’s unfortunate this new policy harms the women and families TANF was created to help,” the director added.
