(Oregon Right to Life) — A Trump administration official earlier this month praised the work of pro-life advocates to support moms and babies, arguing that the widespread impact of their outreach debunks the myth that the pro-life movement is just “pro-birth,” not truly “pro-life,” Pregnancy Help News reported.
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner made the comments during a November 4 briefing arranged by the White House Office of Public Liaison with members of Heartbeat International, a pro-life organization supporting a network of thousands of pregnancy help clinics worldwide. Pregnancy Help News is the news arm of Heartbeat International.
“Your work combats the lie that pro-abortion crusades spread, the lie that our side is only pro-birth but not pro-life,” Turner told Heartbeat International’s delegation, which had gathered for their “Babies Go to Congress” initiative.
“They say that we care for babies only when they’re in the womb, but that we care nothing for them or for their mothers once they’re actually born,” the HUD secretary continued. “But I care for people from the womb to the tomb. Not just when they’re in the womb, but when they’re [living, until] they go to glory with the Lord.” Pregnancy Help News noted that Turner (who grew up in a suburb of Dallas, Texas) and his wife support a pregnancy resource center in Dallas called Prestonwood Pregnancy Center.
“I know it’s not easy. I know sometimes it’s what they say is a thankless job, but it’s not thankless,” Turner said, according to the report. “Every day that you get to see a new life is a blessing from the Lord. Every day that you get to see a mother change her mind is a miracle from God in heaven. So, thank y’all for what you do.” Turner added that the Trump administration “sees everything that you are doing, and you will always have a friend and an ally in us.”
In addition to Turner, numerous other Trump administration officials were in attendance, including White House Press Secretary and Assistant to the President Karoline Leavitt. The Trump administration officials present all reportedly “affirmed pro-life policies and encouraged those working in and served by pregnancy help.”
Heartbeat International launched its “Babies Go to Congress” initiative in 2009, providing a platform for nearly 200 moms and babies to share their stories in the nation’s Capitol, the outlet reported. Moms who attended the 2025 event included a woman identified only as Valencia, who was pressured to abort by her baby’s father. The baby’s father even provided Valencia with the contact information for abortion facilities, but he also included a phone number for a pregnancy help organization, Confidential Care Mobile. Helpful staff ultimately helped Valencia choose life for her daughter, Kennedi.
Valencia now works for a Confidential Care Mobile ministry, helping other moms facing unsupported pregnancies, the report stated.
Valencia’s story of being pressured to abort isn’t uncommon. A 2023 peer-reviewed study published in the medical journal Cureus found that 70% of abortions are “coerced, unwanted or inconsistent with women’s preferences.” For Valencia, her own experience propelled her to want to help others in similar circumstances.
“It’s like I found a new woman in myself, and I was determined to help somebody else,” she said, according to the report.
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In his remarks, Secretary Turner suggested that the witness of the “Babies Go to Congress” group – including moms like Valencia – ought to provide a “Road to Damascus moment” for those who believe that the pro-life movement doesn’t care about moms and babies after pregnancy. He expressed a wish that those who hold that opinion could “speak with the mothers whose lives were changed, who chose not to believe the lie that their personal happiness depends on the idea that they should sacrifice their children.”
According to Heartbeat International, affiliated pro-life pregnancy resource centers within the network reportedly served more than 2.1 million people last year alone. In the U.S., pregnancy resource centers currently outnumber Planned Parenthood abortion facilities 15–1 and provide a wide range of life-affirming services and resources to mothers and families, including ultrasounds, counseling, baby supplies, and adoption referrals.
