Pro-life pregnancy centers are the tip of the spear in the fight for life, but now these centers face mounting attacks from all sides. The federal government, state and local governments, and even big tech giants are bearing down on these lifesaving centers.
At the federal level Joe Biden, who has cemented his place as the most pro-abortion president in history, is seeking to prohibit pregnancy centers from qualifying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding (TANF). TANF is money provided to states that is to be awarded to organizations and programs that:
- Assist needy families.
- Prevent or reduce incidence of out of wedlock pregnancies.
- End the dependence of needy parents on government benefits.
- Encourage the formation and maintenance of two parent households.
Pregnancy centers often meet some, or all, of these goals and as a result several states have awarded them with TANF funding. If Biden is successful, these lifesaving centers will lose crucial funding.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to fund Planned Parenthood to the tune of over $650m in taxpayer money.
The Biden administration is not the only government entity attacking pregnancy centers. In Massachusetts the attorney general is attempting to regulate their advertising, claiming that they are using “deceptive” advertising to mislead women. This blatant viewpoint discrimination is retaliation against pregnancy centers for not recommending abortion, enforced with a $1,000 fine per infraction.
In San Diego there was an ongoing effort to outright ban 16 pregnancy centers from the entire county. A similar argument was levied against the prolife pregnancy centers, claiming they are “fake and fraudulent” for not offering abortions as part of their reproductive healthcare for women. Following community backlash the proposal has been sidelined for now, though officials have not ruled out revisiting it.
Unfortunately, the list of attacks goes beyond those coming from government officials. Google is also throwing their weight against pregnancy centers. Google removed a pro-life pregnancy center from Google Maps, and instead offered users Planned Parenthood as a suggestion. When users searched for “Capitol Hill Crisis Pregnancy Center” their search was redirected toward “Planned Parenthood – Carol Whitehill Moses Center.” Only after considerable backlash did Google admit to removing the listing and reinstated it, claiming it was all an innocent mistake.
These pro-life pregnancy centers face mounting attacks at a time of ongoing physical violence. There have been hundreds of pregnancy centers that have been attacked, firebombed, and vandalized following the Dobbs decision, simply for trying to help pregnant women.
The abortion industry and its far-left supporters are showing their true colors. They would rather attack pregnancy centers than see women choose life, stripping them of another paying customer. We must stand to defend these oases of life and hope for women and their babies.
Defending all life,
Brad Mattes
President, Life Issues Institute
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