The annual March for Life is right around the corner, and House Republicans are set to pursue legislation that advances the pro-life movement. But rather than simply pushing against the Left’s agenda, the GOP is prioritizing help for expectant mothers through the elevation of the many alternatives to abortion such as pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes.
According to Roll Call, the first vote scheduled is on the education bill that “seeks to increase protections and resources for college or university students who carry a pregnancy to term. It would not require information about abortion or contraception options.” The second vote will be on the HHS funding bill, which “would prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services from limiting federal funds for pregnancy centers.”
The House is supposed to vote for the first bill on Thursday and the second bill on Friday. Some Democrats claim these votes are “a distraction from other issues,” but the Brookings Institution found that 55% of Gen Z and millennial voters ranked abortion among their top three political issues. And recent research revealed that, contrary to what the Democrats claim, unrestricted, unlimited abortion is not what the majority of the young voters want.
According to a poll conducted by YouGov and Students for Life of America (SFLA), 65% of voters aged 18 to 42 supported some limits on abortion, and 54% believe human rights should start in the womb. Additionally, 75% “supported restrictions at or before viability, up 10% from 2023.” Kristan Hawkins, the president of SFLA, said the poll served to get a better understanding of what Gen Z and millennial voters want in terms of abortion legislation. “Changing hearts and minds on the human rights issue of abortion means being specific,” she said.
She continued, “In light of ballot initiatives, misinformation on protections in place for women’s lives, and radical abortion policies pushed by those who don’t care about what happens to mothers and their preborn children, we wanted to explore just what the Youth Vote — Gen Z and millennials — are thinking.” And, as Hawkins emphasized, the poll survey results demonstrated that a large percentage of young voters are “open to conversation and willing to consider pro-life policies.”
In part, she’s discovered, many young voters believe pro-life legislation fails to support mothers after they give birth. The poll found that they would like to see more measures such as “paid family leave for new parents, child tax credits, childcare subsidies, support services and programs, and laws to keep the health care costs of pregnancy affordable,” The Epoch Times reported. And since these are the type of policies the GOP is hoping to achieve, experts believe they should resonate with young voters.
Hawkins added that it’s vital to address the matter “specifically about how to protect life in law and in service and about plans to help women survive their exposure to an abortion industry that profits from death.” Abortion is a topic many Republicans have been silent on, especially since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. But, she insisted, “Those urging GOP politicians to ignore this vital issue are making a mistake and should take a look at these [poll] findings to develop concrete plans and policies.”
Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, commented to The Washington Stand, “The pro-life movement has always been committed to helping mothers, fathers, and their child.” She added, “We are a movement committed to helping human beings thrive.”
There are many reasons abortion is detrimental, but for Szoch, there are two main reasons to consider. “Killing an unborn child is obviously an evil because it destroys an unrepeatable human being,” she said. “[B]ut it’s also evil because it hurts a mother and a father — sometimes physically but always spiritually.”
“Democrats’ unwillingness to help pregnancy centers shows a fundamental lack of care for women,” she insisted “They don’t want moms to have a choice — they want the abortion industry and, as a trickle down their own campaigns, to have more money. Republican efforts to support pregnancy centers go hand in hand with protecting the unborn.”
Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.
