Yakym Rips Democrat Pushing to Defund Pregnancy Resource Centers

WASHINGTON, D.C.  –  Today, Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) ripped Democrats’ efforts to defund pregnancy resource centers. In a powerful personal testimony during a Ways and Means Committee markup, Yakym spoke in support of the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, a legislative effort to ensure these centers remain eligible for vital federal funding.

Watch the exchange HERE.

Read the transcript of the exchange below:

Rep. Yakym: My Democrat colleagues are very quick to push a narrative that pregnancy resource centers are unhelpful to women and that they don’t provide adequate health care. Based on the way they’re talking, I’m assuming that none of them have utilized services at a pregnancy resource center-

Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA-38): Have you?

Rep. Yakym: Have I?

17 years ago, my wife and I found out that she was expecting our first child. We were at home. And she realized that she thought that she had a problem with our pregnancy. We had not yet set up a doctor and an OB. We didn’t know where to turn. She called one of her friends who said, you can go down to a pregnancy resource center and maybe they could help you.

We walked in. They welcomed us with loving and open arms. They gave her an ultrasound. And at approximately seven weeks of pregnancy, showed us a child about the size of a peanut. And half of that child made up a beating heart. They walked us through the issues that we saw that we were having and said, you and your baby are going to be okay. You’re going to be fine.

When we walked out, we had very limited money at that time, when we walked out, I just had one question. How much do we owe you? And they said, sir, the services we provide here are free. You owe us nothing.

Why my friends on the other side of the aisle would want to deny people like Sallyann Yakym the care that she needed in her time of need is beyond me. And here we sit, 17 years later, and my daughter, Elle, who’s a junior in high school, is beautiful and smart and grateful for the services that we provided.

So, to answer the question from my colleague on the other side of the aisle when I started:

Yes, we have used the resources from a pregnancy resource center.

Yes, I have visited these pregnancy resource centers who help the constituents that I serve in Indiana’s second district.

And yes, I am grateful for the services that they provide and you should be too.

Background:

The exchange came during debate over Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach’s (R-MN-07) Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, a legislative effort to ensure that pregnancy resource centers remain eligible for vital federal funding.

The legislation would codify states’ ability to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support pregnancy resource centers. This move follows previous attempts by the Biden Administration to implement rules that would prohibit states from utilizing these funds for life-affirming resources, instead encouraging the redirection of funding toward facilities that provide abortions.

The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act ensures that states can continue partnering with local organizations that provide medical care, parenting classes, and material assistance, such as diapers and formula.

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