The dissenting votes were cast by Commissioners Kirkland Carden and Ben Ku.
The Georgia Wellness Center employs certified medical professionals to provide prenatal care to marginalized women, addressing a significant need in the community, according to Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson and Commissioner Jasper Watkins III, whose district encompasses the facility.
Hendrickson added that if the county denied the grant proposal for political or ideological reasons, Gwinnett might face legal action or lose federal money.
She stated, “I’m not here to defend any one organization.” I’m here to protect this process’s integrity.
According to Dickison, 117 applications for HUD financing totaling more than $64 million were submitted to Gwinnett County. According to him, the sole group submitting an application for a maternal health care award was Georgia Wellness Group.
One of the county’s criteria for assessing applications is community support; however, Dickison stated that his department only takes public feedback into account prior to suggesting awards to commissioners, and no feedback was received until Georgia Wellness Group was suggested.
Ku began to doubt the validity of last month’s public hearing on the recommendations after hearing the explanation.
Since 2020, the County Commission has overwhelmingly approved Georgia Wellness Group, previously the Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett, to receive federal Community Development Block Grant funding. The organization was connected to Obria, a nationwide network of crisis pregnancy centers, and received almost $700,000 from the county between 2020 and last year.
Obria has been accused of misrepresenting about the family planning services it offers in order to obtain federal grant cash, and former CEOs have made contentious remarks.
Additionally, Obria advocates for untested methods of reversing abortions.
According to CEO Robin Mauck, Georgia Wellness Group canceled its partnership with Obria last year, but it remains a faith-based business. According to her, the group does not provide reversal of abortion pills.
According to Mauck, Georgia Wellness Group provides pregnancy options consultations that include the option of abortion. However, the organization neither performs nor refers patients for abortions.
The public comment period at Gwinnett commission meetings usually sees very few, if any, speakers, but Tuesday, commenters spoke for nearly two hours, expressing their support or opposition to the pregnancy center.
After becoming pregnant at the age of 14, Hoschton resident Aulani Villena, 18, said she went to parenting classes and support groups at Georgia Wellness Group. She is currently finishing high school, working, and has a 3-year-old kid.
She claimed that all she experienced was feeling secure, strong, and taken care of. Their continued service to my community excites me.
Georgia Wellness Group, according to several opponents, has sent them cease and desist letters cautioning them against public speech.
According to Andrea Swartzendruber, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Georgia, she was one of them. According to her, major medical professional associations advise that referrals for abortions be made upon request.
Once embryonic heart activity can be found, usually about six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women are aware they are pregnant, Georgia outlawed abortion when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade three years ago, terminating federal constitutional protections for the operation. The number of Georgians seeking abortions in other states has increased since then.
According to the group, Georgia Wellness Group also provides free or inexpensive prenatal care, gynecological treatments, maternal mental health care, postpartum support, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
