Ocean County Leader

At a press conference on Capitol Hill, Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) introduced the Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act of 2025, known as H.R. 2226. The proposed legislation aims to prevent federal, state, and local governments from discriminating against pregnancy care centers due to their life-affirming missions.

"There are more than 2,700 pregnancy care centers throughout the United States—each and every one of them an oasis of love, compassion, empathy, respect, and quality care for both mothers and their precious children," stated Rep. Smith. He highlighted that some state governments attempt to discriminate against these centers by violating fundamental conscience rights.

Congresswoman Tenney expressed concern over previous attempts by liberal states and the former Biden administration to restrict TANF funds from supporting pro-life pregnancy centers. "The Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act ensures pregnancy resource centers and pro-life centers are not discriminated against," she said.

Pregnancy care centers provide various services including emotional support, prenatal care access, parenting education programs, ultrasounds, STD/STI tests, lactation consultations, dietician consultations, and well-women exams. According to a January 2025 poll cited by Smith, 83 percent of Americans support these centers.

Pro-Life leaders in New Jersey and New York have shown support for the legislation. Debbie Provencher from Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center emphasized the value of providing confidential spaces for women facing unexpected pregnancies. Jo Ann Gerling from Life Choices Resource Center expressed gratitude towards Reps. Smith and Tenney for acknowledging their work.

The NJ Association of Pregnancy Centers commended Congressman Smith for defending New Jersey's pregnancy centers against what they consider unfair attacks. Reverend Jim Harden from CompassCare criticized liberal states for allegedly prioritizing the abortion industry over women's needs.

There have been instances where states have reportedly tried to censor or punish pregnancy care centers through legal actions or restrictive laws. In response to such challenges faced by these organizations across various states like New Jersey and Washington State among others, supporters argue that these facilities provide essential services without federal funding.

Pregnancy care centers reportedly provided over 3.2 million client sessions in one year alone with high satisfaction rates according to quick facts shared about their operations in 2022.