House Omnibus Bill Could Overturn Pro-Life Laws on Tax-Funded Abortions
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 7, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In the debate on abortion funding in health care, backers of amendments to stop the funding say the health care bill should conform to other laws. However, the House this week could vote on an omnibus appropriations bill that could overturn multiple laws banning taxpayer funded abortions.
The 2009 fiscal year for the federal government ended on September 30, but only five of the 12 bills needed to operate the federal government have been signed into law.
The programs funded through the remaining seven bills are operating under a continuing resolution that expires on December 18, so Congress must take action by then to continue funding for the federal government.
To expedite the legislation, all but one of the bills (funding the Department of Defense) will be combined into one omnibus bill the House is expected to debate and vote on this week.
Although Democratic leaders in the House have not provided the text for the omnibus bill, the text of two of the measures expected to be combined contain serious concerns for pro-life advocates.
The Financial Services appropriations bills approved by both the House and Senate would overturn longstanding federal law prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortions in the District of Columbia.
The Financial Services bill a Senate committee has approved also overturns the longstanding federal law, known as the Smith amendment, that prohibits paying for abortions for federal employees under their government-supplied health insurance plans.
And the Senate State, Foreign Operations appropriations bill that a committee has approved contains a new provision to amend the Foreign Assistance Act to make it so any future president can’t undo the executive order President Barack Obama put in place overturning the Mexico City Policy.
That is the policy that made it so Americans are not forced to fund groups that promote and perform abortions in other countries.
Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat from New Jersey, authored the amendment to make the Obama pro-abortion order permanent.
In anticipation of an omnibus, North Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint sent a letter signed by 35 senators to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The letter makes clear they are “prepared to take full advantage of our rights under Senate rules to prevent massive taxpayer subsidies for abortions and abortion-related activities.”
DeMint explains further saying the abortion policy changes are “unacceptable and Republicans will use every tool at our disposal to prevent taxpayers from being forced to fund the destruction of innocent life.”
Ultimately, that means DeMint and pro-life lawmakers would likely filibuster the omnibus bill in the Senate to ensure the pro-life laws stopping taxpayer funding of abortions or abortion promotion in those instances stay in place.
ACTION: Urge your member of Congress to oppose the omnibus appropriations bill unless all of the pro-life laws stopping taxpayer funding of abortion remain unchanged. Contact any House member thorough https://www.House.gov
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