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Virginia Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan says no to Republican anti-abortion bills

Rebecca Barnabi
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(© Amparo Garcia – stock.adobe.com)

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan of Virginia voted Thursday against House Republicans’ extreme anti-abortion bills that would spread misinformation and divert federal funding to unethical and unregulated “Crisis Pregnancy Centers.”

The legislation would also jeopardize the health and well-being of Americans.

McClellan voted against:

  • H.R. 6914, the (so-called) Pregnant Students’ Rights Act. The bill seeks to advance anti-abortion rhetoric and further stigmatize students for their reproductive healthcare decisions. The bill would prescribe the circulation of a limited and biased set of resources and information that institutions of higher education must provide pregnant students regarding their rights and protections.

  • H.R. 6918, the (so-called) Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act. The bill diverts federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds from vulnerable children and families to anti-abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers. These centers intentionally mislead pregnant people seeking comprehensive reproductive health services while providing inaccurate and harmful information.

“Ahead of the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Republicans have the audacity to bring two dangerous pieces of anti-abortion legislation to the House floor,” McClellan said. “These bills are Republicans’ latest attempt to restrict access to reproductive health care and insert themselves into deeply intimate decisions that should only be made by patients and their providers. These bills are bad faith efforts to spread misinformation and coerce people to carry their pregnancies to term. Furthermore, H.R. 6918 rips federal funding away from vulnerable families to fund unethical pregnancy centers that consistently deny Americans’ access to comprehensive, timely health care services. I voted against these shameful bills, and I will continue fighting back against Republicans’ systematic attacks on our reproductive freedoms.”

McClellan’s full remarks are viewable online.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.