Obama Threatens to Veto Bill to Combat Zika Virus Because It Doesn’t Fund Planned Parenthood

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jun 27, 2016   |   11:11AM   |   Washington, DC

Pro-abortion President Barack Obama is threatening to block an aid bill to help combat the Zika virus in the U.S. because it does not include money for Planned Parenthood.

The bill passed the U.S. House last week to provide $1.1 billion for prevention, research and other measures to stop the virus from spreading. But because the abortion business Planned Parenthood was left out of the funding bill, Obama plans to veto it, Breitbart reports.

Zika, a growing problem in Central and South America, has been linked to birth defects in newborns. Several countries have seen an alarming uptick in the number of babies born with microcephaly, a brain disorder that is not typically fatal but can cause health problems throughout the child’s life.

Abortion advocates have been using the link as an excuse to push for more abortions on babies with disabilities. Some pro-abortion groups even have been scaring women into aborting their unborn babies without knowing if they have Zika or if their unborn baby has a disability.

According to Breitbart, the Obama administration wants $1.9 billion to fight the virus, including money for the abortion business Planned Parenthood. However, the Republican-backed bill has a section that blocks funding from going to groups that do abortions, the report states. Earlier this spring, pro-abortion Democrats tried to block an earlier version of the bill because it, too, did not allow funding for abortion groups.

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White House spokesperson Eric Schultz called the Republicans’ bill “totally inadequate” and twisted the situation to blame them for turning it into a “political football.”

In response, Red State criticized Democrats for using Planned Parenthood to “hold Zika funding hostage.”

“Democrats in Congress refuse to acknowledge that the majority of women’s healthcare in this country is not related to Planned Parenthood. The best healthcare for women, whether Zika-related or not, remains with clinics providing non-abortive education, prescriptions, and services,” Red State’s Kimberly Ross wrote.

Earlier in June the Centers for Disease Control reported the first cases of babies with disabilities in the U.S. after their mothers contracted Zika. Three babies were born, while three others were aborted or miscarried, according to the CDC.

At least one U.S. mom has said yes to having her baby, despite being infected with Zika, LifeNews reported in May. Connecticut teen Sara Mujica believes her unborn baby’s life is a miracle.

The young mother said she plans to give birth to her baby no matter what. When Mujica was 15, she had meningitis, and doctors told her that she would never be able to get pregnant, she said.

“… so this is a big miracle for me,” she said of her unborn child.

Families who have experiences with microcephaly also are countering abortion activists’ fear mongering, saying that women should be offered education about the condition and support – not abortion.

Kansas mother Gwen Hartley, who has two daughters with microcephaly, said she initially struggled when she learned about her daughters’ diagnosis, but today she believes they are a huge blessing to her family.

She encouraged mothers not to throw away their unborn babies’ lives because they are afraid.

“In the beginning, I was crushed,” Hartley said. “… But if you open your mind enough, you realize your whole life is in preparation for this moment, and this moment will make you better.”

The fact that abortion activists believe people with disabilities like microcephaly should be targeted for abortion also is concerning to many disability rights advocates, even some who support abortion.

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