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NRL News
National
Right to Life Applauds WASHINGTON—President Bush on May 3 sent identical letters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv.), stating flatly, “I will veto any legislation that weakens current Federal policies and laws on abortion, or that encourages the destruction of human life at any stage.” NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson commented, “We appreciate that the President is drawing a bright line—he will veto any appropriations bill, or any other bill, that would weaken the existing laws against federal funding of abortion or weaken other pro-life policies.” One hundred fifty-five members of the House of Representatives and 34 members of the U.S. Senate had already sent the President previously unpublicized letters (dated March 30 and February 1, respectively), urging the President to veto bills that weaken existing pro-life policies, and indicating that they will vote to sustain such vetoes. Those numbers exceed the number required to sustain a veto in either house. The President’s letter came only weeks before congressional appropriations committees were about to begin moving forward with funding bills for the fiscal year that will begin on October 1. Many important pro-life policies are kept in place by provisions of such appropriations bills, sometimes called “riders,” including the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest). Pro-abortion advocacy groups have been pressuring the new Democratic congressional leadership to attack these pro-life riders. In his letters to Reid and Pelosi, the President wrote, “I am concerned that this year the Congress may consider legislation that could substantially change Federal policies and laws on abortion, and allow taxpayer dollars to be used for the destruction of human life. I am writing to make sure that there is no misunderstanding of my views on these important issues.” The letters from President Bush to the congressional leaders, and the letters from the lawmakers to President Bush, are posted (in PDF format) on the NRLC website at http://www.nrlc.org/PresidentialRecords.htm. |