(RNS) — As a mom-to-be, this Mother’s Day feels different. Feeling my son’s little kicks, I already sense the deep, instinctual love for this life growing inside of me and the desire for him to flourish. I have always been a strongly pro-life evangelical Christian, but experiencing this bond between a mother and her unborn child has clarified what it truly means to value life.

At our 20-week anatomy scan, my husband and I learned that our son would be born with complications that would require medical care. The weeks that followed were full of tears, doctor’s visits and consultations, but also deep gratitude for the treatment options that would allow our son to live a full life. What steadied us was access — specialists, options, follow-up care.

That’s exactly what millions of moms don’t have.

Through my work in global health, I know that many mothers across the world lack access to treatment for conditions that doctors know how to address. As I considered the little life in my womb, this stark reality clarified something for me: to be truly pro-life, to honor the Imago Dei in every person, means ensuring that mothers and babies have the care and resources needed not only to survive, but to thrive.

That is why it has been especially devastating for me to see that more children around the world are now dying from preventable causes. Recent data shows that global child mortality was projected to rise in 2025 for the first time in 25 years, reversing decades of progress on the treatment of preventable diseases.

While a variety of factors contributed to this shift, arguably the most significant was the 23% drop in foreign aid investments across the globe over the past year, led primarily by cuts to United States Agency for International Development and other lifesaving programs.

For those of us who are pro-life, this should serve as a wake-up call. Our commitment to protecting life cannot end at birth, nor stop at our nation’s borders.

For decades, the U.S. has put this bipartisan commitment into action through investments in global health and public-private partnerships with faith-based organizations. These efforts have helped ensure mothers can give birth safely and enabled children to survive diseases that were once a death sentence.

It’s a beautiful thing that stories like Sonya Hamboya’s are common due to these investments. Through education and treatment made possible by World Vision, the Christian humanitarian aid organization, Sonya was able to give birth to a healthy, HIV-free baby despite being HIV-positive herself. And because of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, more than 5.5 million babies have been born HIV-free to mothers living with this devastating disease since the program began in 2003.

Due to the cuts to USAID and the pause in U.S. foreign assistance last year, there were significant disruptions to PEPFAR’s services. Some analyses describe clinics being forced to halt treatment and let go of health care staff, and estimates suggest that the suspension of services has led to nearly 17,000 child deaths, contributing to the projected rise in global infant mortality, though there’s no official government data reflecting the full impact.

By directing a fraction of 1% of the U.S. federal budget toward highly effective health programs like PEPFAR, we have saved millions of children’s lives across the world. These are some of the greatest pro-life, bipartisan success stories of our country. They strengthen our national security, prevent the spread of disease and make us all safer. It’s a legacy that we should be proud of, not pull away from.

I’m grateful that Congress preserved strong bipartisan funding for global health in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process. This also includes long-standing pro-life protections that ensure U.S. taxpayer funds are not used for abortions. Now, lawmakers should build on this foundation by maintaining robust funding in FY27 and beyond.

This modest investment turns into healing and hope for millions of vulnerable children and moms across the world. It is a reflection of the great and generous God we serve: the one who can turn five small loaves and two fish into a feast that can feed the 5,000 (John 6:1-14), the God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20) and the God who “so loved the world” (John 3:16). I am proud that our nation would leverage its power and influence to serve the most vulnerable around the world.

As I plan a baby shower this spring, I can’t help but think of the moms around the world who are planning funerals for their children lost to diseases we know how to prevent. This Mother’s Day, honoring life means helping mothers and children survive and flourish, wherever they are born. It is my prayer that our nation’s policies will reflect that commitment.

(Rylee Lacy serves as the advocacy and policy manager for the National Association of Evangelicals, where she works with the government relations team to advocate for the principles of the NAE document, “For the Health of the Nation.” The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)