CHARLESTON, West Virginia (LifeSiteNews) — West Virginia will create a new program to support pregnancy help centers and expand the adoption tax credit as part of a pro-family law recently signed by Republican Governor Jim Justice. Most abortions are banned in West Virginia.
House Bill 2002 creates the “West Virginia Mothers and Babies Pregnancy Support Program,” which will assist pro-life pregnancy resource centers with funds. It will also work with these pro-life centers to help West Virginia residents access the resources that they need.
The legislation also expands the adoption tax credit from $4,000 to $5,000 and increases access to “early intervention services” such as Right From the Start. This program provides new parents with nurses or social workers to help them adjust to being parents.
I’ve said it many times, I stand for life. So, today, I signed a bill establishing the West Virginia Mothers and Babies Pregnancy Support Program, which raises the adoption tax credit and will supply pregnancy help organizations with necessary funding. pic.twitter.com/8Ng17SgMs1
— Governor Jim Justice (@WVGovernor) March 29, 2023
“I’ve said it many times, I stand for life,” Gov. Justice wrote on Twitter on March 29. “So, today, I signed a bill establishing the West Virginia Mothers and Babies Pregnancy Support Program, which raises the adoption tax credit and will supply pregnancy help organizations with necessary funding.”
The ACLU of West Virginia opposed the legislation because money might go to organizations that are religious and are pro-life.
The increase in support for pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) is one way the pro-life movement is looking to abolish abortion in a post-Roe America. These pro-life centers help families choose life with low-cost or free services.
“Nearly 3,000 pro-life pregnancy centers nationwide serve millions of women and men each year and offer a wealth of material assistance and vital services – including care provided by over 10,000 licensed medical workers – typically at no cost to the client,” Moira Gaul with the Charlotte Lozier Institute previously told LifeSiteNews. “In contrast, Planned Parenthood performs nearly 200 abortions for every adoption referral, receives a whopping $2 million on average per day in taxpayer funding, and carried out a record 383,460 abortions in their last reported year. The real-world data is clear: pregnancy centers offer the tangible support women and families need to choose life. Planned Parenthood is just an abortion business.”
Governor Justice’s support for helping families choose life stands in stark contrast to a proposal by the new leftist governor of Arizona, Democrat Katie Hobbs. She proposed in her latest budget to defund a pro-life group that that helps pregnant homeless women and to redirect the money to abortion.