Prior to the historic Dobbs decision that reversed Roe v. Wade after 50 years of legalized abortion on demand in the U.S. the state at the center of the Dobbs case passed legislation to help its citizens support women through pregnancy help.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed the Pregnancy Resource Act April 21, creating a $3.5 million tax credit for individuals and businesses to use in support of donations to the state’s non-profit pregnancy help centers.
The law’s enactment came just over a week before the leak of the Supreme Court draft majority opinion in the Dobbs case signaling Roe’s demise. Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act, banning most abortions at weeks, was the law upheld in Dobbs.
“Mississippi will continue to take all available avenues to build and promote a culture of life,” Reeves said of the law. “This means supporting mothers, passing pro-family laws, and strengthening community support systems. Together, we’ll build a society that recognizes that every child is wanted, every life is precious, and every individual has an inherent worth and dignity that is worth protecting.”
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Reeves’s statement said further:
Pregnancy resource centers and crisis pregnancy centers do a tremendous job of helping primarily low-income women who are facing incredible challenges. These non-profits offer free sonograms, pregnancy tests, counseling on options, and more.
“These centers receive no government funding and are non-profits that are fully reliant on donations from individuals and business owners,” the statement continued.
The law, HB 1685, is the first of its kind in the U.S., according to Reeves.
“Mississippi is leading the nation in passing laws that protect life,” he said, “and other states are following our lead.”
Mississippi has more than 30 pregnancy centers that provide pregnancy help to women and families, a report from local outlet The Daily Leader said. In 2019 alone, these organizations provided $1.9 million in services and materials to more than 12,000 people.
Data from that same year compiled by the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that the then roughly 2,700 pregnancy centers nationwide served almost two million people, at an estimated total value of services and material assistance of nearly $270 million. Estimates since have the number of pregnancy help centers in the U.S. approaching 3,000.
Pregnancy help advocates have supported women and families facing unplanned pregnancy over the last 50+ years and have continued to do so throughout the events surrounding Dobbs. These organizations have expected all along to maintain their support for women in need no matter the case’s outcome.
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“We know that to be truly pro-life, we cannot only be anti-abortion,” Reeves stated via his official Facebook page upon signing the Pregnancy Resource Act. “This bill will help expecting mothers get the resources they need in a safe, well-equipped environment.”
“Every life is precious,” Reeves added.
Reeves signed the legislation in a ceremony held at the Center for Pregnancy Choices, a non-profit pregnancy help center in the Jackson metropolitan area.
