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Pro-life leaders in the states are making strides not only in protecting the unborn but in fulfilling a true culture of life, complete with service to mothers. After the landmark decision in the Dobbs Supreme Court case which allowed the people to have a say on the issue of abortion at the federal and state levels, legislatures have advanced more initiatives and resources to assist mothers during pregnancy and after their children are born.

Just this May, Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) joined by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the More Opportunities to Succeed (MOMS Act) which seeks to address many of the challenges that pregnant, postpartum, and parenting mothers face by providing genuine and empowering support. The MOMS Act is now one of multiple important pieces of legislation aimed at expanding the pro-life safety net like Senator Rubio’s Providing for Life Act and Standing with Moms Act, and Senator Cramer’s Unborn Child Support Act.

Among other things, the MOMS Act establishes a grant program to improve women’s access to prenatal and postpartum care, including equipment necessary for such care and access to telehealth appointments. It would also create a dot-gov website for mothers to access pregnancy, postpartum and early childhood resources in her area based on zip code.

“One of the greatest lies the pro-abortion movement has spread is that pro-life politicians and activists are not pro-life beyond birth. This narrative is false as pro-life states have gone above and beyond pro-abortion states in expanding maternal healthcare initiatives and services to expectant mothers,” said Stephen Billy, vice president of state affairs for SBA Pro-Life America.

Now, as of last month, Florida has become the most recent state – joining states like South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Indiana – to create a state-funded website that provides women with a comprehensive list of pregnancy help, parenting, adoption, and financial assistance resources for expectant mothers.

Florida:

On Friday May 17, 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB415 into law. The law includes funding for a website that will connect expectant mothers with essential pregnancy resources. The bill was passed in the House with large bipartisan support with 83 votes in favor of the bill, and in the Senate with only 12 votes against. While the new Florida pregnancy resource website will connect women with crucial resources and services to support them through pregnancy, pro-abortion politicians are not happy. Democrats tried to amend the bill to include abortion facilities on the website, but Republicans rejected the attempt to funnel business to Big Abortion with taxpayer dollars.

A Florida House of Representatives staff analysis reports:

HB 415 requires DOH, in partnership with DCF and AHCA, to contract with a third-party to create a website that provides information and links to public and private pregnancy and parenting resources. The website must include, at a minimum, information on resources related to: Educational materials on pregnancy and parenting; Maternal health services; Prenatal and postnatal services; Educational and mentorship programs for fathers; Social services; Financial assistance; Adoption services.

South Dakota:

Immediately after the reversal of Roe, Gov. Kristi Noem and the South Dakota state legislature implemented strong pro-life protections for babies alongside launching the release of a new pregnancy resource website for expectant mothers. Noem announced:

Being pro-life doesn’t mean just caring about babies until they’re born – and it doesn’t mean forgetting about moms. We must get help to those who need it. To that end, I have launched a new website: Life.SD.gov. This website will help moms through their pregnancy. It will help new parents learn how to be the best parents for their kids. It will provide the best places to get financial assistance for families who are struggling. And it will streamline adoption resources, both for families looking to adopt a child and parents who are looking to give their child to a loving home.

This year, South Dakota became the first state to pass a Med Ed law for the creation of video and training materials for doctors on pregnant women’s continued ability to receive emergency care under the state’s pro-life law. Gov. Noem’s office plans to add that video to life.sd.gov once it is completed to increase public awareness on South Dakota’s ‘life of the mother’ exception.

Nebraska:

While passing protections for babies at 12 weeks, Gov. Jim Pillen launched the Preparing for Pregnancy and Beyond (ne.gov) website. Gov. Pillen announced, “You are not alone. These programs and services are designed to help you before, during, and after pregnancy.” The website includes resources for tips on parenting, adoption services, medical information on pregnancy, and connections to financial assistance programs.

Oklahoma:

Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma on July 6, 2023 – one year after signing a bill that protected life in the womb – launched an Oklahoma government sponsored website that provided connections to essential maternal services and information to expectant mothers in the state. Gov. Sitt remarked, “By consolidating all of this essential information and assistance into one convenient platform, we’re hoping to strengthen the support system that every mom and family deserves.”

Mississippi:

In October of 2023, Mississippi Gov. Lynn Fitch launched the Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) program to connect pregnant mothers with pregnancy resource websites throughout the state of Mississippi. The website and app connects pregnant mothers with resources that contain information on pregnancy health, food and financial aid assistance, childcare, and a plethora of other assistance programs that help pregnant mothers and their infants before and after birth. Gov. Fitch announced the launch of the website in a press release:

“Whether you are a mother-to-be or a mother of three, mama.ms.gov can quickly connect you to the resources women and their children need to thrive, including health care, food and clothing, safety and shelter, jobs and job training, education, childcare, and much more.”

Indiana and Beyond:

Additional states have also created state pregnancy resource websites to help the moms in their states. Check out the websites from these states to see how they’re connecting women with resources.

• Indiana’s My Health Baby and Pregnancy Promise Program websites
• Ohio’s Help Me Grow and Family Connects websites
• Kentucky
• Texas
• Wisconsin
• Michigan

Beyond the states we’ve listed here, Her Pregnancy and Life Assistance Network (Her PLAN), a project of SBA Pro-Life America, has an online directory that includes over 4,000 vetted, life-affirming provider listings in 28 states. Providers listed in the directory offer resources and support across seven categories of care, including financial assistance, work or education, and pregnancy support.

Did your state have a website with resources for moms that isn’t listed in this article? Reach out to us at [email protected] so we can update this list.