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WASHINGTON, Apr. 28 (LSN) – The US Senate voted today to approve funding for the UN, with some conditions on the use of US funds to promote abortion. It seems likely, however, that President Bill Clinton, a strident supporter of abortion “rights,” will veto the proposal, as he has done in recent years. The legislation offers the UN $819 million, and forgiveness of a $107 million debt owed to the United States. Although most of the bill’s original pro-life conditions have been removed, Mr Clinton appears unwilling to budge. The bill would prevent international pro-abortion “family planning”  agencies that receive US aid from lobbying foreign governments to liberalize their abortion laws.  Last Friday, Senator Jesse Helms warned the President that if the current bill is rejected, there will be no more funding for the UN in the next bill. In a strongly-worded speech in the Senate, Senator Helms showed great frustration with the Clinton administration, and revealed the extent to which the Republicans have already compromised on the matter. Noting that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives “has offered compromise after compromise, giving up 90 percent of their ground,” Helms deplored the refusal of Democrats and the White House to meet them even half way.  Referring to Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City Policy, the Senator noted, “It forbade any expenditure of U.S.  taxpayer money going to any organizations that performed abortions abroad As much as I wish it were otherwise, section 1816 [in the current bill] will not cut off funding to organizations that perform abortions as required under President Reagan’s original Mexico City Policy. All section 1816 does is simply prohibit population control groups from using American taxpayers’ money—which they will receive under current law anyhow—to lobby foreign countries to overturn their laws pertaining to abortion. That is it, sum total.”  Senator Helms went so far as to say that “the abortion language before us in this legislation is so limited that its approval would be little more than a symbolic concession on the part of the Clinton administration.” He concluded by vowing to fight any further payments to the UN if the current legislation is rejected.  To see the full text of Senator Helms’ address, go to:  https://www.reagan.com/HotTopics.main/document-4.28.1998.7.html