The Obama Administration has pledged $25 million dollars to the Federal Pregnancy Assistance Fund, which aims to “assist women who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and those who are parenting” by providing grants to states that apply.
The federal grant money, according to a press release issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, “will be used to will provide pregnant and parenting teens and women a seamless network of supportive services to help them complete high school or post-secondary degrees and gain access to health care, child care, family housing, and other critical support. In addition, States can use the funds to combat violence against pregnant women.”
It’s not exactly clear how the money will be distributed, and as it appears to be a program concentrating on women who have already chosen to go through with their pregnancies, it’s doubtful that any of the grant money will be used for sex education or pregnancy prevention options. If nothing else, providing education, housing, health care, counseling, and protection to mothers in need is surely a positive thing.
So far, both pro-choice and anti-choice groups support the fund, though the fairly vitriolic fighting currently taking place between pro-choice and anti-choice CNN commenters (with a few random Tea Party quips thrown in for good measure) is perhaps proof that the “common ground” the administration is looking for, in terms of finding a way to appease both sides by working toward an overall decrease in the need for abortions, hasn’t been found just yet.
[HHS]
White House Ties New Pregnancy Assistance Fund To ‘Common Ground’ Abortion Plan [CNN]