Choosing Life

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Moore of Utah, for his efforts here today and certainly to all of my colleagues for having an exchange and conversation that I think is vital for our country.

It is important that we always examine what is taking place across America, what is appropriate for the Federal Government to do, not to do, and how best to do what is good for the American people within certainly the Constitution and its parameters.

There is a program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF. Many caseworkers across America are familiar with TANF, and beneficiaries are, as well.

As far as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, it has come about that the administration is excluding various women in need of care for their pregnancy if they seek care or conversations within the delivery method of a pregnancy center. I find this disturbing.

I have been inspired, actually, by the work that these pregnancy centers do in meeting the needs of women. If a woman finds herself in a crisis pregnancy, if they present information and they ultimately offer care and a friendship, if you will, to a person in need to make decisions in their interests, certainly the interests of a little one, then the administration excludes this care.

I think it is important to note that it is one thing to be pro-life and it is quite another to make sure that a child is cared for and receives what they need for nourishment and care, hopefully with the mother and hopefully, with the father, as well.

As we sort out all of these policies that we see coming and going here through this institution and through Congress in general, I think it is vital that we certainly uphold the purposes of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in making sure that those in need receive the resources that they need and that they would select.

I would say that the administration's policies of excluding pregnancy centers is actually restricting a young mother, a prospective mother, from information and approaches that they would prefer to have.

So as we look at all of TANF and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, I hope that given the fact that we allow States much latitude in carrying out what they think they need to do with these tax dollars that flow through the Federal Government but ultimately from taxpayers, I think it is absolutely incumbent upon us to make sure that those dollars end up where they need to go and can be expected to make a positive difference.

This is a very reasonable proposition.

As a Federal policymaker, as these dollars flow out across America, I believe that we would expect those dollars to be wisely spent.

For the critics of pregnancy centers, I urge all of them to visit a pregnancy center themselves. These pregnancy centers exist all across America in communities small and large. I have been very impressed hearing from the clients themselves of how they appreciated the care that they found through the pregnancy centers and that they had someone to walk with them through a very difficult moment in life, perhaps, and also taking a difficult moment in life and realizing that that can become a very triumphant moment, as well.

I certainly urge my colleagues to support our legislation later this week so that pregnant women will have access to information that they would select themselves and that we can honor those options that these expectant mothers should have along the way and that the Federal Government would not stand in the way of an expectant mother receiving information and the care that they would choose to have.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Mr. Moore of Utah, for holding this Special Order that I think is vital for our country and certainly vital to the future of America.

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