Pregnancy center representatives stood alongside Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh at her Capitol press conference last week, promoting a bill, SB-1368, that would mandate 7-12th-grade curriculum to include information about free resources found in pro-life pregnancy care centers. Unfortunately, the bill failed along party lines in the Senate Education Committee later that morning. Two Republican Senators voted yes, four Democrats voted no.
“We expected resistance from the state capitol’s pro-abortion majority to any bill endorsing pregnancy care centers,” said Greg Burt, Vice President of the California Family Council. “Nonetheless, we were pleased that Senator Ochoa Bogh championed the vital support these centers offer to women with unplanned pregnancies, particularly after disparaging remarks from Attorney General Rob Bonta and other lawmakers this past year.”
During her press conference, Ochoa Bogh highlighted the significant impact of pregnancy centers in California. In 2019 alone, pregnancy centers provided over $14.3 million in services to nearly 94,000 individuals, all free of charge. Those resources include ultrasounds, urine pregnancy testing, medical referrals, STI/STD testing and treatment along with other tangible resources such as counseling and baby supplies. Senator Ochoa Bogh’s bill seeks to rectify this ignorance.“Many women know where to get an abortion,” she explained, “But most women don’t know free resources from pregnancy centers exist.”
That was the experience of Kellee Bradford, who shared her story at the press conference and before the Senate Education Committee.
When Bradford was a young woman, she had 5 unplanned pregnancies that ended in abortion. She expressed that she was misled by Planned Parenthood and uninformed about other available services. “Not one time did Planned Parenthood speak to me about continuing my pregnancy and providing prenatal care support or adoption services,” Bradford said.
Once Bradford discovered pregnancy centers like Alternatives Pregnancy Center, she was blown away by the quality of care they provided and the time they took with each patient, going over their options when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. “I was baffled. I didn’t know pregnancy centers existed when I needed help,” she said.
Bradford hopes her soon-to-be 8th-grade daughter would learn about all the options available if she found herself in the same situation.
“I pray that she and her peers will be educated on all the resources provided by this bill. We all deserve to know all of our options and pregnancy care centers provide vital information that we need to make the best decision for ourselves and our unborn child. It’s only fair and just that we give our students all options.” Bradford said.
During the press conference, others shared personal experiences highlighting the critical role pregnancy centers play in supporting and educating women across California.
Cindy Cleveland, a critical care nurse and lead nurse at Alternatives Pregnancy Center, spoke about the emotional and spiritual support provided to women who have undergone abortions. “What I’m most proud of is our objective, unbiased, peer-reviewed medical education that we provide women on pregnancy outcome options including parenting, adoption, and abortion procedures,” said Cleveland.
She emphasized the care pregnancy centers strive to offer all individuals seeking assistance, “We put women back together emotionally and spiritually who have been hurt by their abortion experiences. Alternatives [Pregnancy Center] and over 175 pregnancy centers like it in California are providing this as professional and compassionate care free of charge,” said Cleveland.
It is heartbreaking that legislators killed a crucial step toward empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. Though the legislation did not pass, it promoted greater awareness and understanding of the options available to individuals facing unplanned pregnancies, fostering a culture of informed choice and support throughout California communities.
