News

Thursday July 22, 2010


Rep. Chris Smith to Introduce “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act”

By James Tillman

WASHINGTON, DC, July 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is planning to introduce the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” on July 29. If passed, this bill would establish as permanent many of the pro-life policies that currently rely on regular congressional re-approval, and which are attached as riders to annual appropriations bills.

“This ‘as needed’ approach,” wrote Rep. Smith in a letter to his colleagues, “usually results in a debate over abortion funding anytime Congress considers health-related legislation.”

Smith’s proposed legislation would make permanent the Hyde amendment, which prohibits funding for elective abortions through any program funded by the annual Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Act.

It would also codify the Hyde-Weldon conscience clause within the Hyde amendment, which ensures that recipients of federal funding do not discriminate against health care providers because they do not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.

It would also make permanent the Helms amendment, the Smith FEHBP amendment, and the Dornan amendment, which respectively prohibit the funding of abortion overseas, the funding of elective abortion coverage for federal employees, and the use of congressionally appropriated funds for abortion in the District of Columbia.

It would also make permanent a few other pro-life policies.

Rep. Chris Smith has also recently called attention to the fact that $23 million of U.S. taxpayer funds have been dedicated to the civic education effort in Kenya in the run-up to a referendum on a new, pro-abortion constitution.

Many of the grantees obtained the money specifically to work for the pro-abortion constitution.

“It is unconscionable that U.S. taxpayers are subsidizing a massive one-sided political campaign thinly disguised as ‘civic education’ in another sovereign nation,” Smith said. “This is a very bad precedent. And it is illegal.”


See related stories on LifeSiteNews.com:

Congressmen Demand Answers about U.S. Involvement in Pro-Abort Kenyan Constitution Campaign

https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jul/10072106.html