Your Tax Dollars Will Soon Be Promoting Overseas Abortions

President Biden Thursday signed his first executive order that will change an American pro-life policy into a pro-abortion one. Outrage is the early reaction among pro-life activists to Biden following in his former boss’ footsteps by letting American funds go once again to push abortions overseas. Biden’s becoming the latest Democrat to reverse the Mexico City policy that forbade that.

Concerned Women for America’s Penny Nance told CBN News, “It is incredibly tragic that the Biden administration has departed from the Trump administration’s position, which is in line with 75 percent of Americans who do not want their tax dollars to be sent abroad in order to fund abortion in other countries.”

Now It's 77% of Americans Who Don't Want This

Denise Harle of Alliance Defending Freedom’s Center for Life said, “For the administration to want to be a champion of abortion is extremely disappointing. And it’s really out of step with what the American people want.”  

And, indeed, that’s borne out by a brand-new Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll survey conducted this month. Mike Conte of The Marist Poll said on a media call, “77 percent of Americans overall, a slight uptick from a year ago, as well as 64 percent of pro-choice Americans and 55 percent of Democrats oppose taxpayer funding to support abortions abroad.”

That percentage soars to 85 percent of Independents and 95 percent of Republicans.

Nance said of this overseas funding, “We’re talking a hundred million dollars in which our tax dollars are spent and U.S. policy is used to coerce other countries, poor countries, to adopt the most liberal policies on abortion.”

What this meant during the Obama years is if your nation wanted money for reproductive care, you had to align your laws with America’s pro-abortion laws and regulations.

A Threat to Your Freedom

Pro-life advocates see this funding as taking away the right of American taxpayers to refuse to have anything to do with abortion.

As Harle put it, “It looks like a threat to freedom and it really looks like misplaced priorities when in fact there are issues of real healthcare that could be addressed and need to be addressed.”

She added, “The Mexico City Policy protected taxpayers from their dollars – our dollars – going overseas to fund global entities that promote abortion. And if you ask Americans, we don’t want our taxpayer money going to electively end the life of unborn babies.”

Jeff Hunt, director of the conservative Centennial Institute, commented, “We’re using taxpayer dollars to fund abortions — in other countries. Let that sink in for a moment. In the midst of a pandemic where Americans are suffering, we’re going to take taxpayer dollars to fund the unconscionable practice of abortion in other countries. By reversing the Mexico City Policy, the Biden administration is making it clear that abortion-to-birth is their policy — and American taxpayers will be stuck with the bill."

On the Eve of the March for Life

The March for Life happens Friday, January 29, just a day after this move by Biden.    

"Rescinding the Mexico City Policy on the eve of the March for Life is a deeply disturbing move, especially when the president says he wants national unity,” said Jeanne Mancini, March for Life president.

She added, "The government should never force taxpayers to fund abortions, either here or abroad, but should work to protect the inherent dignity of all persons, born and unborn."

‘It is Ideological Neo-Colonization’

“This decision is a dark day for our nation – it will lead to more deaths of more children and for that, Joe Biden should be ashamed,” said Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action.

“Instead of leaning into the American promise engraved in the Statue of Liberty: 'Give me your tired, your poor/your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,' Biden targets other nations and funds programs that dismember and kill their most vulnerable children,” Rose stated.  “As my friend Obianuju Ekeocha, Founder of Culture of Life Africa, reminds us, pushing abortion on other nations is not compassion, it is ideological neo-colonization.”

Officials at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement saying, “It is grievous that one of President Biden’s first official acts actively promotes the destruction of human lives in developing nations. This Executive Order is antithetical to reason, violates human dignity, and is incompatible with Catholic teaching."

'Throwing Aside Any Notion of Unity'

"President Biden is returning to the pro-abortion policies of Barack Obama and forcing taxpayers back into a partnership with the overseas abortion industry,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

He added, "The abortion industry is well known for relentlessly pursuing taxpayer dollars -- and will exploit any opportunity to grab US taxpayer money. With this action, President Biden is throwing aside any notion of uniting or 'healing' America's political division and is demonstrating that 'unity' means conformity to the goals and priorities of the Left.”

'An Abhorrent Practice'

“Funneling U.S. tax dollars to abortion groups overseas is an abhorrent practice that flies in the face of the ‘unity’ Joe Biden and Kamala Harris promised to inspire,” stated Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List.

She continued, “Rather than rally the nation around common ground policies to affirm and promote life, today they force taxpayers to bankroll abortion businesses overseas, opening up a slush fund for groups like Marie Stopes International and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. These abortion industry giants shamefully push their agenda on deeply pro-life nations and cultures.”

Some Pleased with Biden's Move

Opponents of the Mexico City policy call it the global gag rule.    One of those, National Council of Jewish Women CEO Sheila Katz, welcomed, “…the Biden administration’s move today to rescind the global gag rule, restoring federal funding to organizations abroad that provide abortion services, referrals, or information, or that advocate for abortion access.”

Katz continued, “Jewish tradition affirms that access to reproductive health care, including abortion, is a matter of human rights and basic human dignity. As many people’s reproductive health care decisions are informed by their religious beliefs, denying them access to family planning and abortion services is a violation of their religious freedom.”

'Will Directly Lead to an Increase in Abortions Worldwide'

The group Catholic Vote issued a statement, saying of Biden’s action, “The move will directly lead to an increase in abortions worldwide and will directly implicate conscientious Americans who oppose the practice. The decision is especially shameful given the repeated insistence that Joe Biden is a 'devout' Catholic, even by his own press secretary as recently as last week when asked about this policy. The use of his Catholic faith to whitewash policies aimed at destroying innocent life is both insulting and diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Catholic Church itself.”

Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, a policy advisor for The Catholic Association, said in a statement,  “President Biden has made it clear that his Catholic faith will inform the decisions he makes as president, but today, one of his first presidential actions will be to fund abortion overseas using Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. Instead of using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion abroad, he should prioritize an authentic concern for the world’s poor by helping them to house, feed, and educate their children rather than eliminate them.”

Next, it’s expected the administration and abortion supporters on Capitol Hill will soon go after the Hyde Amendment, which keeps federal tax dollars from being used for abortion here in the United States.

'Got to Lock Arms & Push Back'

Nance exhorted, “American pro-life people, people of faith, have got to lock arms and push back.” She suggested one way people can do that is by consulting with Concerned Women for America at concernedwomen.org.   

And Harle’s Alliance Defending Freedom has launched a campaign called Stand for Freedom which highlights ways Americans’ liberties and rights are being threatened. On the abortion front, this campaign points out Biden promised to make the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling into federal law and his administration will try to wipe out state-level abortion restrictions. You can find out more here.

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