Congress ties mental health funding to abortion restrictions
H.R. 9065 — Pregnancy Loss Mental Health Research Act of 2026 · Filed by Addison McDowell (R-NC) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced May 29, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill directs the National Institute of Mental Health to expand research on mental health complications following pregnancy loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion) and authorizes $4.5 million annually through 2028 for that research. It also creates a grant program for states and nonprofits to deliver mental health services to people experiencing pregnancy loss, but prohibits funding to any organization that performs abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is expanding mental health research and services for pregnancy loss, but it embeds a substantive policy restriction (abortion-provider exclusion) that is not transparently flagged in the title and operates as a de facto ideological gating mechanism for federal funding.
What the text implies
- The 'prohibited entity' definition may exclude community health centers, Planned Parenthood affiliates, and other integrated providers that offer both abortion and mental health services, potentially fragmenting care networks in underserved areas.
- The repayment provision creates legal and financial risk for organizations that receive grants and later change their abortion policies, potentially chilling participation by organizations uncertain about long-term compliance.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
nonprofit mental health providers; community health centers; state health departments