EXCLUSIVE: America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is launching an agenda Thursday that will “empower women” and support them through “challenging situations,” including unexpected pregnancies, fertility issues, adoption and more, while providing related mental health resources with abortion and pregnancy.
The introduction of AFPI’s HOPE agenda comes just days after former President Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, said the issue of abortion should be left to the states. Trump explicitly affirmed his support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and emphasized his support for states determining their own abortion laws, as long as there are exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.
TRUMP SAYS ABORTION SHOULD BE DECIDED BY THE STATES, ‘WILL OF THE PEOPLE’
“The states will determine it by voting, legislation, or perhaps both, and what they decide should be the law of the land, in this case, the law of the state,” Trump said. “Many states will be different. Many states will have a different number of weeks…at the end of the day, it all depends on the will of the people.”
The HOPE agenda, obtained by Fox News Digital, is a 20-point plan designed to “empower women in motherhood, adoption, foster care and fertility treatments, while reducing the number of abortions and providing support in challenging situations, including mental health needs.
The “H” stands for “Health” for women and babies “at all stages of pregnancy and beyond, including routine and emergency medical care, mental health support, and access to IVF treatments.”
The “O” stands for “Opportunity” for women to be “supported.”
The “P” stands for “Prosperity” so that women and children have access to the resources they need to live, including childcare assistance.
The “E” is for “empowering women to know that parents will be financially responsible,” and more.
The agenda would allow courts to “award child support to mothers while the child is in the womb” and changes tax laws that would allow expectant mothers to claim a child or dependent tax deduction on federal taxes in the year the baby was conceived, even if he is born the following year. AFPI says that could save a mother $3,600.
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The agenda also addresses legal and financial barriers to adoption and foster care through targeted tax credits; improves access to health care to improve outcomes and reduce maternal mortality; supports pregnancy resource centers and community health centers; and prioritizes the health of women and their babies.
The agenda also makes counseling available to women before undergoing an abortion.
The plan would also require companies that cover abortion costs to provide the same level of coverage for pro-family measures, such as seeking infertility treatments or seeking adoption.
The document also states “the long-standing exceptions [to abortion bans] for victims of race and incest, protecting the life of the mother and ensuring that babies born alive receive life-saving medical care.”
“After five decades of tireless advocacy, the pro-life movement succeeded in returning abortion policy decisions to the state’s elected representatives through the historic Dobbs decision,” AFPI President and CEO Brooke Rollins told Fox News Digital. . “We have the opportunity to prioritize a broader set of pro-life and pro-family principles that compassionately care for the lives of both the woman and the fetus.”
Crowds outside the Supreme Court reacting to the Dobbs ruling. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
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Rollins added: “Protecting life is not just a policy; it is a commitment to supporting women, children and those seeking to become parents.”
Rollins told Fox News Digital that AFPI’s proposed agenda “defends the sanctity of every life and offers support to those with financial barriers and those seeking fertility treatments, ensuring access to the journey of parenthood for all.”
“We recognize that each situation is unique and we promise to give you the care and support you deserve,” Rollins added.
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AFPI, a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501C3 research institute focused on “advancing policies that put the American people first,” is led by senior Trump administration leaders, including Rollins, former director of the National Policy Council of the White House, Linda McMahon, a former small business administrator, and other former Cabinet officials.
The abortion issue is high on voters’ lists ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
In 2022, the Supreme Court issued its decision overturning the landmark 1973 case, Roe v. Wade, with which abortion issue back to the states for the first time in almost 50 years.
