The HOPE Act aims to support women facing unplanned pregnancies and provide alternatives to abortion. The legislation seeks to enhance access to prenatal telehealth care, consolidate information resources, require parental notification for minors seeking abortions, and prohibit federal funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood that perform or support abortions.

Status: In Committee (Subcommittee on Health) 

Our Take: 

Despite what many on the left say, the pro-life movement doesn’t stop at ending abortion. It is also about supporting women and families.  I am pro-life, and empowering women to choose life will always be a top priority. Today, so many women feel unprepared for pregnancy or motherhood, and the pro-abortion movement would have those women believing that abortion is their best option. But there are so many ways women can feel confident in choosing life and raising a child. That is why I introduced the Health, Opportunity, Protecting Live, Education, or HOPE Act. This bill supports positive alternatives to abortion by increasing access to care, information, and resources. 

To support access to healthcare, this bill creates a pilot grant program for community health providers for support and equipment like blood pressure monitors, scales, and portable heart rate monitors, so women with less flexible schedules are able to receive the healthcare they deserve. It also creates a grant for community organizations that provide assistance with other aspects of parenting like medical care, housing, childcare, parenting education, and adoption services, providing hands-on support to expectant mothers.

This bill also improves access to updated, science-based facts on information that is critical for women to make an informed choice about their pregnancy, like fetal development and the health risks surrounding abortion. It also keeps parents informed by requiring a parent or guardian be notified if a minor is seeking an abortion. Parental notification is something that has been largely neglected in this country, despite the fact that there is no one more concerned for their child than a parent.

Finally, The HOPE Act pays for this support by prohibiting Planned Parenthood from accessing any federal funds for a year and authorizing that money to be reallocated to the thousands of comprehensive community health centers that do not perform abortions. In order to maintain federal funding, organizations like Planned Parenthood would have to certify that they will not perform, or support places that perform abortions.