This is supposed to be a time of optimism and anticipation for the pro-life movement. We have elected a president and majorities in both houses of Congress who say they will protect innocent human beings. The air is expectant with the anticipation of taking all federal taxpayer money away from Planned Parenthood. ALL and STOPP joined pro-life groups around the country in a letter to the U.S. Senate spelling out exactly why PP must be defunded.
Then, this week the first bill starting to take money from Planned Parenthood is introduced. WHAM! It is politics as usual in DC. Here is the key part of Section 3 of the bill:
- No funds authorized or appropriated by Federal law may be made available for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., unless such entities certify that Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period.
- EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to an abortion— (1) if the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) in the case where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
Talk about discrimination against a whole class of people! This supposedly pro-life bill actually says that the federal government will continue to give our money to Planned Parenthood as long as it only kills the children of rapists or in cases where some biased physician claims that killing the child will somehow save the mother. This is utter nonsense, but it is what passes for a pro-life bill in Washington, DC.
Let’s make this clear. American Life League has never and will never support a bill with exceptions. It is anathema to our very existence and would be a betrayal of all our supporters.
To make matters worse, Section 4 of the bill authorizes the giving of $235 million to community health centers and specifically says that monies given to these centers can be used to pay for abortions for the same babies who come under the exceptions listed above.
The bill is House Bill 354, introduced by Representative Diane Black of Tennessee, and has 132 cosponsors. It’s time politicians heard from you that the killing of even a single baby is unacceptable.
image: Jazbeck via Flickr | CC 2.0