Going on two years since Dobbs, 24 states have laws protecting babies in the womb between conception and 12 weeks – yet pro-life leaders realize there’s more work to be done to build a strong culture of life in their state and nationwide.
Spot the difference:
Pro-abortion governors v. pro-life governors – fearmongering v. life-affirming practical support@kelsey_pritch spoke with @LindsayWMast @ReichardWorld of @WNGdotorg‘s The World and Everything in It: https://t.co/m98HEVYASp pic.twitter.com/QXwKQcltKh
— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) February 13, 2024
Few people are better positioned than governors to cast a bold pro-life vision and rally the entire community around babies and their mothers, and traditional “State of the State” addresses pose a unique opportunity to lay out their agenda for the coming year.
Here are some of our favorite moments when governors took a strong stand for life so far in 2024:
South Dakota: Freedom for Life
In order to live a healthy life, we must first have the freedom to get off to the right start. That Freedom extends to every single South Dakotan – before they are born; after they are born; until the day they die. Later this week, I will proclaim that 2024 will be “Freedom for Life Year” in South Dakota. The most important way that we will advance this is by taking care of both moms and their babies before birth AND after. Being pro-life means valuing the child’s life before their birth and throughout their life; it also means valuing and protecting that mother’s life.
The first 1,000 days of a child’s life (from the moment they are conceived to their 2nd birthday) are the most significant days for their development. Research in the fields of neuroscience, biology, and early childhood development has given us powerful insights into how nutrition, relationships, behaviors, and environments in the first 1,000 days shape future outcomes.
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We care about the lives of our mothers and children. We have dedicated resources and time. But we can still do more to prevent the rising death rates of South Dakota moms and babies, particularly among Native Americans living on tribal lands.
So what are we doing in South Dakota? We are offering the Bright Start program to get one-on-one nursing services to first-time moms and their babies from pregnancy until the child’s second birthday. The Department of Social Services’ Pregnancy Health Home will offer care coordination to all pregnant mothers who are enrolled in Medicaid. These moms also have access to prenatal and postpartum coverage for up to a year after birth along with well-child and health maintenance exams.
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We are doing all of this and so much more to help moms, families, and their babies both before birth and after. You can find all of this information in one place on Life.SD.gov. Moms can go there to answer questions about pregnancy, parenting, available financial resources, adoption, and more.
In addition, Governor Noem’s first weekly column of 2024 meditated on “Why a Crying Baby Is a Good Thing”:
Towards the end of my speech, a small kiddo started crying up in the gallery. Now, to some that would probably be an unwanted interruption, but in South Dakota, we will always welcome a crying baby… Thank you for reminding all of us why we do what we do. I promise that I will keep doing all that I can to make sure you (and every other baby in South Dakota) has Freedom for Life.
Iowa: Helping Moms and Babies Thrive
In a rare and historic special session, we voted to pass the fetal heartbeat bill by an even wider margin than the first time. That was more than an ordinary vote. It was an act of courage and conviction that will ultimately save precious lives.
As we continue to fight for the law in the courts, I want to thank you for putting Iowa firmly on the side of life.
By passing the heartbeat bill, we affirmed an essential truth: every Iowan counts.
To continue building a robust culture of life, we must also do everything in our power to ensure new moms and their families—especially those who are struggling—have what they need to make ends meet.
Today, Medicaid only covers postpartum care for two months after birth. I’m proposing to expand that coverage to 12 months, for new moms who make less than $42,000 a year.
Let’s do more to help moms, babies, and their families get off to a good start.
Programs like Medicaid are critical for families working to get back on their feet. But government support is just the first step on the road to lasting self-sufficiency. Support from within the community is just as important.
The good news is that many of these resources already exist across our state—from faith communities, nonprofits, and so many other remarkable organizations. They are doing life-changing work every day.
Government’s role is not to replace these grassroots efforts, but to amplify and facilitate them.
That’s why I’m thrilled to announce Thrive Iowa, a remarkable new initiative that will leverage faith-based organizations and private sector networks to connect individuals and families to support outside of government assistance.
Whatever the challenge, Thrive Iowa will be there with dedicated navigators to help Iowans find their way to lasting independence. And countless lives will surely change for the better.
Alabama: Coming Together for Families
Alabama is a pro-life state. I am more committed than ever to protect the sanctity of life, and as I said on this occasion last year, our work is not done.
This evening, I am proud to declare Alabama will foster a culture of life. We must re-focus our efforts to do more to support life after birth.
Last year, Commissioner Nancy Buckner and the Alabama Department of Human Resources had great success in foster care adoptions, accompanied by a relentless focus on enhancing childcare quality. I am proud to double-down on these efforts.
To foster a better culture of life, we must also do more to support Alabama families, and early onset medical care is necessary for both mothers and children. While we are making significant strides, we still face challenges, especially in rural Alabama.
That is why I am proud to support a pilot program that will start hosting checkups for pregnant women at nine county health departments in areas of need.
Folks, there is nothing more important than our Alabama families, and we must come together to find common ground on meaningful ways to support them.
Nebraska: Culture of Life and Love
We defended the unborn by restricting abortions beyond 12 weeks. We will continue to embrace life here in Nebraska with the launch of a yearlong “Culture of Life and Love Initiative.” It will provide resources to expecting moms, especially those in crisis and who need support more than ever. Much work remains to be done, but this Legislature should be proud of its investments in Nebraska’s future.
Governor Pillen supports legislation to provide tax credits to businesses and individuals who donate to pregnancy centers. The Pillen administration has also launched a web portal, Agoodlife.ne.gov, that pulls together all state services available to help parents “navigate life before and after birth.”
Virginia, Florida, and West Virginia: Maternal Health, Help for Foster Parents, and Standing With Pregnancy Centers
Governor Youngkin highlighted the opening of a new maternal health hub bringing together doula services, lactation support, early childhood education and much more – praising his guest, one of an army of dedicated women and men working to expand services for moms and children:
Critically, we must always support mothers, including at the very beginning so they will choose to bring life into this world. Let me tell you about someone who has committed her life to maternal health and helping mothers succeed. She is the founder of Urban Baby Beginnings, and I was proud to stand beside her early last year to celebrate our first maternal health hub opening in Petersburg…Urban Baby Beginnings helps more women access prenatal health resources, whether that is finding a doctor or a doula, later providing the support that new mothers often need and all the while navigating an incredibly complex system.
You see, there are many moms who face this challenge. In 2021, 283 expecting mothers signed up for Medicaid coverage in Petersburg, but less than 20% accessed prenatal care. That is why Urban Baby Beginnings is so important. Stephanie Spencer is here with us today. Stephanie, thank you for your heart, thank you for your love and thank you for making sure we have healthy women and babies in the Commonwealth.
Under Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has permanently removed sales taxes on all baby items. Says the governor, “We didn’t just talk the talk, we walked the walk.” DeSantis is also calling for additional support for foster parenting:
We have an opportunity to strengthen protections for the right to life, without which the other rights mean little.
Protecting life does not end with the unborn. It must also include continued efforts to promote adoption and foster care so that all Floridians have a fair chance in life. Florida has 4,000 more licensed caregivers than in 2019 and I am proposing additional funds for foster parents in next year’s budget.
Nobody has done more to support Florida’s children than our First Lady, whose Pathway to Prosperity program has served more than 17,000 families in need through a collaboration between DCF and the faith community.
And in West Virginia, Governor Jim Justice proposed to triple the present level of funding for pregnancy resources to $3 million: “We need to stand behind our moms, don’t we?”
Democrats’ Dishonorable Mentions
Between pro-life Republican governors and pro-abortion Democratic governors, there couldn’t have been a starker contrast:
Arizona: Doing Away With Abortion Data
Governor Katie Hobbs not only called for overturning Arizona’s pro-life protections and expanding abortion on demand, but also for eliminating all data reporting on abortion in the state. In a country with no comprehensive, universal repository of abortion data to understand trends on the ground, Arizona’s reports have been a bright spot – but not any longer if Hobbs gets her way.
Worse than Hobbs’ speech were Democrats in the gallery cheering for her extremism.
Wisconsin: Partisan Screed With Veto Threats
Governor Tony Evers used his speech to attack pro-life Republicans and pledged to veto any protections whatsoever for babies in the womb. Wisconsin’s current laws protect 6,500+ babies a year.
New Jersey: There’s Always More Money for Abortion
Governor Phil Murphy called the Dobbs decision “dreadful” and asserted that “women’s health care in America is in a state of crisis” because of pro-life protections. After touting taxpayer funding for abortion giant Planned Parenthood, he went on to call for even more direct funding of abortion on demand by eliminating insurance copays.
Michigan: There Is a Free Lunch…for Kids Who Survive
Though Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s often-used “fighting like hell” line did not appear as she touted Michigan’s radical pro-abortion constitutional amendment, she made possibly the most awkward segue of all time to her next line: “For every sweet child of ours in Michigan, we made school breakfast and lunch free.”
New York: Easier to Abort Than Adopt
While Governor Kathy Hochul promised to “fiercely protect” abortion industry profits, the New York Post notes that the Empire State “makes it easier to get an abortion than to adopt a baby” by limiting the financial assistance adoptive parents can give birth moms who live out of state.
Washington: Enshrine Abortion in the Constitution
Governor Jay Inslee – well known already for a wild scheme to stockpile more than $1.2 million of abortion drugs – wants Washington to follow Michigan and Ohio in rewriting the state constitution to insert an unlimited right to abortion on demand. Unlike others, however, Inslee lacked the guts to say the word abortion.
The State of the States demonstrates how very different the Republicans and Democrats are in this crucial election year: fearmongering versus life-affirming practical support, principled compassion versus out-of-touch extremism.
Serving moms and saving babies shouldn’t be partisan. At SBA Pro-Life America we’ll never stop working to make abortion unthinkable.
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