Republican Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey spoke on the House floor on January 21, advocating for legislation to support pregnancy care centers. Smith shared accounts of women and families who have benefited from these centers during times of crisis. The House later passed the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act with a vote of 215–209, mostly along party lines.
Smith, who is co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, said that pregnancy resource centers play a key role for women facing unplanned pregnancies or financial difficulties. “These clinics are there for both mother and baby, before and after birth,” Smith said. He added that these centers should be protected from discrimination.
The bill was introduced by Representative Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota and co-led by Smith and Representative Claudia Tenney of New York. It allows states to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support pregnancy resource centers offering services such as ultrasounds, prenatal education, parenting classes, diapers, baby clothing, and car seats at no cost.
During debate, Smith recounted his visits to pregnancy centers in New Jersey. He described how two women told him they felt desperate but changed their minds about abortion after receiving support from center staff. “They spoke of how desperate — even hopeless — they felt,” he said. “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.” According to Smith, these women chose to continue their pregnancies: “They chose life — and thanked God, the director, and the pregnancy resource center for helping them avert the loss of their babies’ lives.”
Smith also mentioned two teenage girls who publicly expressed gratitude toward a center director for supporting their mothers during difficult pregnancies. Without this help, Smith recalled them saying: “we’d be dead.”
He noted that similar stories occur nationwide and highlighted that his district has over 55 pregnancy care centers. “These centers are filled with the most loving, compassionate, and honest people I have ever met,” he said.
Smith cited Jean Marie Davis’s story as well—a survivor of human trafficking who received assistance from a pregnancy care center while struggling financially. Quoting Davis: “Fighting despair, and with only $1.38 to my name, I had very few places to turn.” Davis eventually became executive director at a Vermont pregnancy resource center after receiving material help herself: “The pregnancy center provided me with free resources and support to take care of my son,” she said in remarks quoted by Smith. She credited her survival to this support: “If it hadn’t been for Phyllis and the pregnancy center, I would be dead… They saved my life. My son saved my life.”
Smith stated that more than 2,700 such centers nationwide provided over $452 million in free services in 2024—serving about one million new clients—and reported a satisfaction rate of 98%.
Supporters say the bill clarifies current law while protecting state flexibility; some states already direct TANF funds toward these organizations because they assist families caring for children at home while reducing reliance on government aid.
Smith explained that part of the bill’s intent is to block proposed Biden administration regulations which would prevent TANF funding from going to these centers.
Democratic lawmakers argued federal funds should not go toward organizations opposed to abortion or those not providing referrals for abortion services.
The measure now moves forward to consideration in the Senate.
Chris Smith has represented New Jersey’s 4th district in Congress since 1981 https://catholicvote.org/chris-smith-makes-case-for-pro-mom-pro-life-bill-as-house-advances-measure/. He was born in Rahway in 1953 and resides in Manchester Township.
