WASHINGTON, D.C., March 6, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – The U.S. Senate voted 50 to 49 today to pass a $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill that allows taxpayer funding of abortion contrary to the decades-old Hyde Amendment that has applied to every other COVID-19 relief package.
“The so-called American Rescue Plan is disastrous for unborn children and their mothers,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.
“After laboring through the night on a mountain of amendments — nearly all from Republicans and rejected — bleary-eyed senators approved the sprawling package on a 50-49 party-line vote. That sets up final congressional approval by the House next week so lawmakers can send it to Biden for his signature,” TIME reported.
Senator Ron Johnson, R-WI, also forced the 628-page bill to be read aloud in the Senate chambers Thursday, which took 11 hours.
“Shame on Senate Democrats who exploited COVID-19 relief to expand taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, breaking with more than four decades of bipartisan consensus. The strong majority of Americans, including millions of rank-and-file Democrats, oppose forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions,” said Dannenfelser. “We thank Senators Daines and Lankford for their heroic efforts to fix this bill, as well as the three Senate Democrats who stood up to extremists in their party and voted with all their Republican colleagues in favor of Hyde protections, showing that life is not a partisan issue.”
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) also fought to prevent the bill from being able to be used to bail out Plannd Parenthood, America’s largest abortion chain.
Thank you, @RandPaul! This is a huge victory for countless human lives that will be saved from the violence of abortion and the evil of facilities like Planned Parenthood. https://t.co/EBM2xFz5Fc
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) March 5, 2021
The Senate just passed a COVID-19 relief bill that allows for taxpayer funding of abortion.
The 40 year bi-partisan consensus that federal taxpayer dollars should not be used for elective abortions is over.
Pro-lifers must remember in November!
— Michael New (@Michael_J_New) March 6, 2021
Shameful. Senate Democrats voted to allow billions of taxpayer dollars to be used to fund abortions.
They voted against applying a 44 year protection called the Hyde amendment—one that was included in all five previous bipartisan COVID packages.
— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) March 6, 2021
Tonight Democrats voted to send re-opening money to schools that refuse to re-open. https://t.co/aQgVBDTUzh
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 6, 2021
The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of most federal funds for abortions, except in some limited circumstances.
But, with the Democrats in charge of the Congress and the presidency, the Hyde Amendment is now under severe attack.
That's why 200 Republican Congressmen vowed in a letter addressed to U.S. House and Senate leadership their "unified opposition to Congressional Democrats’ efforts to repeal the Hyde Amendment and other current-law, pro-life appropriations provisions."
Please SIGN and SHARE this urgent petition to signal your support of the effort to keep the Hyde Amendment firmly in place, and prevent our federal tax dollars from funding abortion.
After signing the petition, please take a few minutes to quickly and easily contact your congressmen to politely voice your opposition to the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. Simply click on the link in the 'For More Information' section below, and follow the directions.
No-one should be forced to pay for any abortion, ever, against their will. Forcing taxpayers to pay for abortion would be a gross violation of freedom of conscience, and should be vigorously resisted.
Although President Joe Biden was originally in favor of the Hyde Amendment, even as recently as 2019, he has dramatically altered his position to align with the Democratic Party platform, which has promised to repeal the amendment throughout the 2020 presidential campaign and, indeed, since taking the presidency.
The Democrats officially support unlimited abortion on demand, funded by taxpayers. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris marked the anniversary of Roe v. Wade by pledging to make abortion available to "everyone."
But, Americans overwhelmingly disagree with this proposed policy change. A 2019 Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 49% of Americans agree with the Hyde Amendment, while only 33% oppose it.
Regardless of polls, though, abortion is always and everywhere wrong.
Abortion is not necessary medical treatment, it is the deliberate destruction of unborn human life at its most vulnerable stage. Forcing taxpayers to pay for abortion would be unconscionable.
Please SIGN and SHARE this petition, telling Congressmen of both political parties, to supports efforts to keep the Hyde Amendment in all federal budgets.
Thank you!
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please CLICK HERE to CONTACT your congressmen. It only takes a couple of minutes and the platform is very user-friendly. Thank you!
'200 GOP congressmen slam Democrats, say they’ll never vote for tax-funded abortions' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/200-gop-congressmen-slam-democrats-say-theyll-never-vote-for-tax-funded-abortions
2019 Poll on the Hyde Amendment - https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/11/poll-abortion-funding-reversal-helps-biden-with-primary-voters-1359210
**Photo Credit: Shutterstock
On March 5, the Center for Family and Human Rights (CFAM) warned, “The bill makes funding for abortion groups available through $8.6 billion for the global response to the pandemic. The global response to the pandemic led by the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres designates reproductive health, including abortion, as essential to the COVID-19 response.”
“The COVID-19 bill appropriates over $500 million in foreign assistance for humanitarian emergencies, $204 millions for State Department operations, and $41 million for USAID operating expenses that are not covered by the Helms and Siljander Amendments which respectively prohibit U.S. funds from being used to perform or promote abortion overseas.”
The international pro-life lobby group added, “More troubling to pro-life Senators, is the $8.7 billion designated for the global response to the pandemic,” noting that “Since March, UN Secretary General Guterres and UN agencies made abortion essential to the UN pandemic response. They included ‘sexual and reproductive health’ as essential to COVID-19 UN policies, and defined this term by reference to a UN manual that declares abortion a human right and says medical providers should be forced to refer for abortion against their conscience.”
The bill also pumps $14 billion into distributing experimental mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and sends most Americans $1,400 stimulus checks. Critics say they would rather the economy and businesses be fully re-opened rather than receive a one-time government check.
Dylann Roof murdered nine people. He's on federal death row.
He'll be getting a $1,400 stimulus check as part of the Democrats' “COVID relief” bill.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 6, 2021
The bill now goes back to the U.S. House for a final vote. President Joe Biden is expected to sign it.
LifeSiteNews has produced an extensive COVID-19 vaccines resources page. View it here.