Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates in Congress have officially given up their fight to overturn President Bush's pro-life limits on making taxpayers fund groups that perform or promote abortions overseas. Democratic leaders in the House have removed a provision from their spending bills that would have weakened the Mexico City Policy.

The policy has been in place since the Reagan administration, with the exception of the Clinton years. It ensures the State Department doesn't reward abortion businesses or pro-life groups with family planning funds.

President Bush expanded the policy during his administration to all State Department programs, but abortion advocates have worked overtime in Congress to weaken or overturn it.

On Monday, thy removed their pro-abortion language form the 2008 foreign aid budget.

Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican who heads the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, told the Associated Press that he and other lawmakers couldn't support the legislation without the pro-abortion provision's removal.

"If we provide either cash or in-kind contributions or anything of value to pro-abortion organizations in other countries, we empower, enrich and enable them to expand abortion," Smith said.

But leading pro-abortion lawmaker Nita Lowey, a New York Democrat, griped to AP about the latest news.

"This dogmatic adherence to an illogical position diminishes our influence around the world and prevents us from working effectively to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancies and reduce abortions," she claimed.

Both the House and Senate had cast votes to weaken the Mexico City Policy, but President Bush issued repeated threats to veto any foreign spending bill that removed his pro-life funding limits.

Pro-life organizations were pleased by the news and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins told LifeNews.com that American taxpayers are protected once again from being forced to fund abortions.

"The bi-partisan effort in Congress to preserve this pro-life policy is consistent with public opinion which overwhelmingly opposes forcing taxpayers to finance abortions either in this country or overseas," Perkins said.

"America is known for exporting many things, chief among them freedom and democracy. This victory ensures that America will not also become known as an exporter of death," Perkins added.

Along with Congressman Smith he credited Senator Sam Brownback and Rep. Bart Stupak, a pro-life Democrat, with defeating the abortion advocates.