Pregnancy centers now have a “hub” of hope in the political fight to continue caring for women and their families.
Heartbeat International has joined with the Americans United for Life (AUL) for AUL’s Pregnancy Center Advocacy Hub, a pivotal new resource for pregnancy centers for ongoing legislation related to pregnancy help across the United States.
Heartbeat is the largest network of pregnancy help organizations in the U.S. and globally. U.S. pregnancy help network Care Net and international non-profit pregnancy help non-profit Lifeline Children’s Services are also part of the AUL effort.
“The Pregnancy Center Advocacy Hub provides information on proposed laws and regulations that seek to impact the operations of pregnancy centers and adoption agencies,” AUL Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager Rebekah Gantner told Pregnancy Help News. “It empowers centers to engage directly with elected officials and their offices to tell their PC’s life-changing stories and advocate to ensure their right to offer hope and healing.”
The Advocacy Hub serves as an online resource for centers and those who support their services. When participants go to the Advocacy Hub site they can get information by scrolling down to the various tabs with federal and state information. The Advocacy Hub contains specific, targeted campaigns that are prioritized by AUL’s legal team to generate impact and influence for pregnancy centers. Information is updated often, and it is recommended that participants sign up for email updates.
Heartbeat International President Jor-El Godsey said the partnership with the Advocacy Hub amplifies pregnancy centers.
“This partnership with AUL is a natural fit for pregnancy help organizations because it strengthens our ability to serve women and families with life-affirming care,” Godsey said. “AUL’s vigilance and expertise in legal and legislative advocacy already helps navigate challenges posed by those who seek to silence or shut down our work.”
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Gantner referenced how pregnancy centers have been inundated with criticism and attacks from abortion proponents opposed to their life-affirming mission while trying to meet the needs of their clients.
“We recognize the challenges pregnancy centers face daily from government officials who want to (close) their doors,” she said. “Our goal is that the Advocacy Hub will give pregnancy centers a voice while helping them to navigate the ever-changing legislative landscape and hold elected officials accountable.”
She noted that United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) have reintroduced the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act, a bill that targets pregnancy centers for “deceptive advertising.”
“The bill falsely claims that pregnancy centers “often disseminate and promote inaccurate information about abortion and contraception” and therefore, this has ‘affected the ability of people to access needed abortion care,’” said Gantner. “Calling pregnancy centers deceptive for empowering women and men with the tools they need to choose life would be akin to calling Weight Watchers deceptive for not promoting McDonalds.”
Since the Advocacy Hub’s launch in September 2024, there have been 12 active campaigns regarding legislation of interest to pregnancy centers.
Among them was the Arkansas Pregnancy Centers Tax Credit. State House Bill 1404 aims to create a 50-percent tax credit contribution level for pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, maternity homes, and social service agencies. Some of the other campaigns have also involved tax credits.
Also on the list is the “Wyoming Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression (CARE) Act.” The act prohibits government agencies from requiring pregnancy centers to offer, perform, counsel or refer for abortions, abortion-inducing drugs or contraception.
“A large majority of the email campaigns both inform individuals about a piece of legislation and encourage them to contact their elected officials using our prewritten message,” Gantner said. “If a hearing is coming up on a particular bill, we will likely ask them to both contact their elected officials and provide testimony at the hearing.”
Tweet This: The Advocacy Hub partnership with AUL is a natural fit for pregnancy help organizations because it strengthens their ability to serve women.
Those on the frontlines in pregnancy centers can be instrumental in getting issues noticed by legislators, and they are encouraged to get their donors and supporters involved in the exchange of legislative information.
Pregnancy center personnel and supporters are urged to get involved by contacting their elected officials at both the federal and state levels using AUL’s available prewritten messages within the Advocacy Hub, Gantner told Pregnancy Help News. Individuals can also include their own thoughts and comments, or draft their own message, when sending an email to legislators.
Gantner said she values the united efforts of Heartbeat and the other pregnancy help networks as they work together to meet the needs of the many clients who need pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, material needs, and parenting classes.
The combined effort of these pregnancy networks is what keeps the Advocacy Hub in motion, Gantner said.
“This partnership allows AUL to bring more than 50 years of legislative and policy expertise to more than 4,400 pregnancy centers, maternity homes, and non-profit adoption agencies,” she said. “AUL’s efforts help reduce the research and staffing costs for our partners to engage on current issues.”
“AUL’s goal is to end abortion and ensure life is respected from the moment of conception to natural death,” Gantner added. “The work of pregnancy centers, and our legal team ensuring these centers can continue to exist, is crucial in meeting that goal.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
