A story bubbled up in the right-wing media suggesting that the White House requires “that unborn children get security clearance” if their parents want to tour the building. The reporting was based on an email from the White House that instructs potential visitors about “how to enter security information for a baby that has not yet been born.”

The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, Drudge Report, National Review Online, and Fox Nation all highlighted this story and presented it in the context of President Obama's support for abortion rights.

However, a closer reading of the email shows that expecting parents are required to fill out security information for a child who is not yet born only if they anticipate giving birth by the time they want to visit the White House. The email clearly refers to “newborns” and gives instructions for what to do once “the baby is born.”

The Huffington Post spoke to a representative from the Secret Service who said that “all White House guests are required to provide information at the time of their request for the tour, including for children and infants, and those expected to be on the tour once born.”

So, no, the White House does not require pregnant visitors to register their fetuses as people for security purposes.