Democrats Block Bill To Help Pregnant Women On College Campuses Despite It Not Once Mentioning Abortion

Senate Democrats blocked pro-life legislation Tuesday that would require colleges to provide resources and accommodations to pregnant students in a 47-45 vote, falling short of a 60-vote majority.

The Pregnant Student Rights Act, introduced by Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, aims to encourage students to carry pregnancies to term without putting their college careers on hold. Democrats criticized the bill for not including access to abortion services among the resources to be distributed to college students. (RELATED: JD Vance Speaks to ‘Elephant In The Room’ at March for Life)

The text of the bill does not restrict abortion or mention the practice.

Moody’s office said accommodations that colleges would be required to disclose to pregnant students if the legislation were enacted include excused absences and modified class schedules. The bill would also require colleges to provide information to women on how to file a Title IX complaint if they face discrimination on campus while pregnant.

“Navigating college can be difficult, and unfortunately, women who become pregnant may feel the pressure to choose between giving life to this world or failing academically,” Moody said in a Jan. 14 statement accompanying his introduction of the legislation. “No one should have to make this decision.”

The bill passed the House on Thursday by a vote of 217 to 211. Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, a moderate lawmaker representing a majority-Hispanic district won by President Donald Trump in 2024, was the only Democrat to break with his party and support the measure.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 7: U.S. Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill October 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Republican leaders have traditionally passed pro-life legislation to coincide with the annual March for Life rally in Washington, DC. The march attracted more than 100,000 participants Friday and was headlined by Vice President JD Vance.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Friday that Democrats’ opposition to Moody’s legislation highlights their hypocrisy on the issue.

“The pro-abortion movement and the Democratic Party have long claimed to be pro-choice,” Thune said Tuesday. “Well, what better way to ensure that women actually have a choice than by making sure they know what resources are available to them.”

In July 2025, Republicans succeeded in stripping abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, of federal Medicaid funding for a year as part of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Thune described it as “the first pro-life law enacted in decades” in a speech Tuesday on the Senate floor.

In January 2025, Senate Democrats blocked the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act by a vote of 52 to 47, falling short of the 60-vote legislative threshold for filibustering.

The legislation, sponsored by Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, would require medical professionals to provide the same level of care to babies who survive a botched abortion as during a routine delivery. Democrats warned that the GOP-authored bill would put abortionists in legal jeopardy and unanimously opposed it.

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