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Smith, Lipinski, Pitts
Speak Out Against Taxpayer Funds for Abortion
Part Three of Four WASHINGTON, D.C. – Government funding for abortion and legislative plans to stop it were the topics of a bipartisan press conference Thursday by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), Chairman of the Health Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce and the Values Action Team. Specifically, the lawmakers focused on two bills introduced January 20 prohibiting government funding for abortion--the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," which will be introduced as H.R. 3, and the "Protect Life Act." Congressman Smith (NJ-04) said of the bills: "Today with the full and unequivocal support of Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor, more than 150 Members of Congress have joined us to introduce the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act--a government wide prohibition on taxpayer subsidization for abortion and conscience protections with durable remedies. President Obama has said he wants abortion to be rare. To Mr. Obama I say, 'here is a bill for you.' Even the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, confirms that taxpayer funding bans are a proven abortion reduction method. According to Guttmacher, studies show that when abortion is not publicly funded, abortions in the covered population are reduced by roughly 25 percent." Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-03) said: "The health care law made it clear that the current way we prevent taxpayer funding of abortion through annual riders is dangerously fragile. We must take action to prevent federal funding for abortion under the health care law and throughout the government, without exception. I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to guarantee we abide by a principle supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans: that no federal taxpayer dollars should be used to pay for abortion. Congressman Joe Pitts (PA-16) said: "It is imperative that the federal government stays out of the business of subsidizing the morally objectionable practice of abortion. President Obama, himself, agreed with these goals, and even issued an Executive Order. |