As the annual March for Life descended on the nation’s capital Friday, two pro-life pieces of legislation were passed by the House of Representatives, one safeguarding federal funding for pregnancy resource centers and another ensuring that pregnant college students are fully informed of their rights to give birth and take care of their babies while receiving an education.

On Wednesday, the House passed the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act (H.R. 6945) with a vote of 215-209. Only one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, joined all Republicans in passing the bill. As the legislation’s summary notes, the bill “provides statutory authority for states to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for pregnancy centers that (1) support protecting the life of the mother and the unborn child; and (2) offer resources and services to mothers, fathers, and families, including relationship counseling, prenatal and pregnancy education, pregnancy testing, diapers, baby clothes, and material supports.”

Pro-life advocates and religious leaders praised the passage of the legislation. In a statement, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) noted that bill “would help ensure that key public resources are available to pregnancy help centers, which compassionately accompany women in need with baby supplies, childcare assistance, health and parenting information, career services, and more. Amid great uncertainty and difficulty, such support can make a life-saving difference.”

GOP lawmakers made an impassioned case for the bill’s passage. During debate on the House floor, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) described his encounters with mothers in New Jersey who expressed gratitude for pregnancy resource centers (PRCs). Two women, he recounted, “through tears of joy, expressed their deep and abiding gratitude for the incredible love, respect, and care that persuaded them to reverse their decision to abort their babies.”

Smith went on to express how the mothers “spoke of how desperate — even hopeless — they felt. They spoke of the pressure they were under to abort, until they met the director of the pregnancy resource center, who reached out in a gentle and nonjudgmental way.”

Smith further recounted how a human trafficking survivor named Jean Marie Davis relied on the help of a PRC to escape exploitation. “‘Fighting despair, and with only $1.38 to my name, I had very few places to turn,’” Smith quoted her in his remarks. Through the free resources and help provided by the center, Davis was eventually able to earn a college degree, and eventually became the executive director of a PRC in Vermont. “If it hadn’t been for Phyllis and the pregnancy center, I would be dead,” Davis said, according to Smith. “They saved my life. My son saved my life.”

According to analysis by the Charlotte Lozier Institute released in November, 2,775 PRCs across the country provided $452 million worth of medical care, education services, and material goods to expectant mothers in need in 2025 alone. The report further noted that “8 in 10 centers are providing free or low-cost medical services, staffed by over 10,000 medical professionals,” and have a client satisfaction rate of 98%.

A second bill named the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act (H.R. 6359) was passed on Thursday in a 217-211 vote. Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar was again the only Democrat to vote in favor of the legislation. The measure would require every college that participates in federal student aid “to provide certain information to prospective and enrolled students on the rights and resources for pregnant students to carry a baby to term.” The information must include “a list of community and on-campus resources” that help expecting students carry their babies to term and care for them after birth, as well as the available campus accommodations that are available and “information on how to file a discrimination complaint related to the student’s determination to carry a baby to term.”

The USCCB lauded the legislation, stating, “Too often, … expectant and vulnerable women are essentially told that they have to choose either their child or their future. No one should have to make this ultimately false choice. The Pregnant Students’ Rights Act is needed legislation that would simply ensure that colleges and universities at least provide information about the resources, services, rights, and accommodations available for pregnant and parenting students.”

Summarizing the importance of the two bills, Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) told “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” Thursday that the GOP is trying to advance the pro-life cause in a multitude of ways.

“We’re working to make sure that we continue to protect life,” he emphasized. “It’s so essential to what’s going on and those first fundamental freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We’ve got to make sure that we continue to protect life in every single way that we can.”

Both bills now move to the Senate, where the 60-vote filibuster threshold for passage looms.