December 8, 2023
Both Sides of the Aisle Can Agree Families Need a Break
“In the Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of a baby for whom there was no room at the inn, our thoughts should also come to the babies born today to families for whom there is little legislative support in this economy,” said Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins. “As the pro-life movement is committed to ensuring women and families receive encouragement and assistance via law and service, we urge bipartisan support on expanding Child Tax Credit provisions. In this economy, it’s clear such action is necessary.”
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WASHINGTON D.C. (12-08-2023) – As part of the pro-life movement’s dedication to support and strengthen families in law, Students for Life Action (SFLAction) recently sent a letter encouraging the expansion of the Child Tax Credit to the leaders of the United States House and Senate, alongside other life-affirming organizations. The letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reads in part:
“Parents from all walks of life are keenly aware of the financial challenges associated with raising a child. In 2022, the estimated cost of raising a child through the age of 17 was over $300,000. According to one recent poll, around 50 percent of parenting-age adults wish they had more children than they do. When The New York Times asked parents in 2018 why they are having less children than their ideal number, a majority said childcare was too expensive, with around 44 percent simply saying they can’t afford more children.3 Inflation has only exacerbated these challenges, leaving many parents in a daunting position, even as they courageously prepare to bring a new child into the world.
“Supporting life means advocating for these mothers and children to have the resources they need to steward it. Americans understand this. That is why for over five years, there has been broad, bipartisan agreement around expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to provide additional resources to children and families. We write to reiterate our support for its further expansion and request that Congress prioritize expansion of the CTC in a year-end package.”
Other letter signers include Patrick T. Brown, Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Kathryn Jean Lopez, Senior Fellow at National Review Institute; Terry Schilling, President of the American Principles Project; Jon Schweppe, Director of Policy at American Principles Project; Patrick D. Purtill, Jr., Director of Legislative Affairs at Faith and Freedom Coalition; Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of Pro-Life Action League; Carlos Duran, President of National Hispanic Pastors Alliance, Leah Libresco, Sergeant of Other Feminisms; Steven H. Aden, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel of Americans United for Life; Care Net; Bradley Mattes, President of Life Issues Institute; Kristen Day, Executive Director of Democrats for Life; and Serrin M. Foster, President of Feminists for Life of America.
SFLAction has a long history of supporting life-affirming legislative measures for families to increase their success. Read about several policies which are in progress right now through a SFLAction blog called “CHOICE for the Pro-Life Movement … We Have a Lot of Policy Plans Up Our Sleeve: Check Out These Seven Bills on the Move.”
To learn more, SFLAction Executive Vice President Tina Whittington also penned a Newsweek op-ed on this topic entitled “This Christmas, Lawmakers Can Help Struggling Families.”
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Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501c4, along with its 501c3 sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), make up the nation’s largest, pro-life youth organization, managing a political and policy operation engaging Americans of all ages but with a special emphasis on the largest segment of voters — the Youth Vote. Together they provide political, legal, educational, and community support for women and children, born and preborn. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, SFLA serves more than 1,400 groups on middle, high school, college, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. SFLA and SFLAction have more conversations with this generation targeted by the abortion lobby than any other pro-life operation in the world, each week reaching more than 4 million across social media platforms and averaging 1.3 million video views. SFLA has also launched multiple initiatives to lead and serve the future of the pro-life movement including the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, Standing With You, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement . Over more than 17 years, President Kristan Hawkins has grown SFLAction/SFLA and the Pro-Life Generation into a nearly $20M organization, now preparing for an abortion-free America.