Shortly after its introduction, Democrats quickly condemned a new Republican bill aimed at compiling resources on a government website for pregnant women, postpartum women and new mothers. They alleged it was a covert attempt to establish a “database of pregnant women,” potentially allowing the government to block access to abortion.
The Increasing Moms’ Opportunities for Success Act, which was abbreviated to the MOMS Act, was introduced by Senator Katie Britt, the Alabama Republican who made headlines for her response to the State of the Union address earlier this year. The MOMS Act would create a government-run website, Pregnant.gov, intended to be a go-to resource for mothers and expectant mothers as they seek support through the various stages of pregnancy and early motherhood.
There is currently a government abortion resource website, ReproductiveRights.gov. The site directs women to AbortionFinder.org, telling visitors it can help them obtain “abortion funds.” The site provides information about abortion rights, where to find legal help, and directs people to the Justice Department’s Reproductive Rights Task Force.
Sen. Katie Britt introduced the MOMS Act to provide a list of resources for women, but it was the subject of a smear campaign by Democrats. (Getty Images)
Pregnancy.gov would be “a clearinghouse of relevant resources available to pregnant and postpartum women, as well as women raising young children,” according to the bill. The site would ask for a woman’s zip code in order to find local resources and populate them for her. It would further include “a mechanism for users to take an assessment through the website and provide consent to the use of the user’s contact information, which the (Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services) can use to conduct outreach by phone or email to follow up with users. users about additional resources that would be helpful for users to review.”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison criticized the proposal, writing on .”
“Yet another example of why this election is fundamental to protecting your liberty and freedoms!” he added.
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The bill would provide resources to pregnant women, including connecting them with crisis pregnancy centers. (iStock)
Democratic lawmakers echoed assertion by the chairman of the DNC. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote on .
“This is a dangerous roadmap for how the Republican Party would like to use government as a weapon to control women’s bodies,” she said.
Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., called the bill “horrible,” also saying that “the Rs are already escalating their authoritarian crackdown on reproductive freedom — calling for a pregnancy database and funding of anti-abortion centers,” referring to the crisis. pregnancy centers which could be eligible for subsidies under the measure.
Crisis pregnancy centers are organizations that typically provide, among other things, emotional and financial support to women. The centers are known to encourage women to seek alternatives to abortion and often provide support in doing so.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, weighed in, making the same claim and calling the bill “hypocritical” since many Republicans oppose “a national gun registry.” .
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Murray joined others in saying the bill would create a database of pregnant women. (Greg Nash/Pool via REUTERS)
Britt responded to the criticism, telling Fox News Digital in a statement, “Democrats’ desperate smear campaign against the MOMS Act is shameful but not surprising.”
“Instead of being part of a common-sense solution that would help vulnerable women, children and families, some on the left would apparently prefer to sow fear and intentionally spread misinformation in a blindly partisan attempt to demonize their political opponents” , she said.
The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Thom Tillis, RN.C. ., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and James Lankford, R-Okla.
A study by Fox News Digital found that nowhere in the bill’s text is there a provision authorizing the construction of a so-called “database” of pregnant women. And it’s not explicitly written that any woman must indicate whether or not she’s pregnant, as the site claims to provide resources for postpartum women and mothers of young children.
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According to the wording of the legislation, there is no mandatory element requiring women to visit the site or provide their postcode, email address or phone number, as the idea of a pregnancy database.
Britt defended her claims regarding her bill, the MOMS Act.
If Britt’s measure becomes law, it wouldn’t be the first government website to ask visitors for location or contact information. Healthcare.gov, for example, asks visitors for consent in their country of origin, email address, and data policy before taking any further action on the site.
Additionally, when the Secretary is directed under the proposal to prepare a report on the usefulness of the website to Congress, he will be specifically prohibited from including “any personally identifying information regarding individuals who used the website “.
“These claims are intentionally false and dangerous,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the leading pro-life organization, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“We encourage everyone to read the bill, which provides a database of assistance to women, not a database of women. The privacy of women is expressly protected,” the statement continued.
“Any assertion to the contrary is nothing more than a cynical attempt to distract from Democrats’ obsession with abortion and their relentless attacks on charities that help women,” the statement said. from SBA Pro-Life America.
The bill would also provide resources to postpartum women and mothers of young children.
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Advancing American Freedom, an organization founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, has also weighed in on widespread false claims about the legislation. AAF Political Director John Shelton told Fox News Digital, “The abortion industry raised its hands when it baselessly smeared Senator Britt’s MOMS Act. »
“Planned Parenthood would rather force hopeful mothers to have abortions than ensure they have access to pregnancy resource centers and child support as they seek to raise their children,” he said. -he continued, emphasizing that the measure provides for child support to be accessible during pregnancy.
