Republicans: Make De-Funding Abortion Industry Your Top Goal

Opinion   |   Penny Nance   |   Nov 10, 2010   |   1:01PM   |   Washington, DC

Few observers anticipated the conservative wave election would produce the first Pro-Life majority in the House of Representatives in decades, yet that is the reality.

This is an excellent opportunity to enact meaningful change that will do right by American taxpayers who never should have had to fund abortions in the first place.

As House Republican leaders discuss who will chair committees in the new Congress, they should strongly consider committee assignments that reflect the new pro-life majority. While not the only issues on our list, we do ask that upon taking office in January the new Congress should immediately act to:

·         Pass the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act: This act will essentially codify the Hyde Amendment and make sure no taxpayer dollars are ever used for abortions and will ensure no agency is exempt from this law. Currently the Hyde Amendment only applies to Medicaid and has to be renewed yearly. The bill would also codify the Hyde-Weldon provision, offering protections for medical workers who refuse to participate in abortions

·         Defund Planned Parenthood: Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the country, doing over 305,000 abortions per year (according to their last yearly report in 2008) and receives over $300 million taxpayer dollars yearly. They have been caught on tape covering up child rape and abuse and accepting money specifically targeted to abort African-American babies. In several states, the organization is undergoing audits for improper billing practices as well. This organization deserves no funding from taxpayers.

·         Ban Taxpayer Dollars from Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Plenty of research has yielded very positive results from using adult stem cells to treat of range of diseases and conditions while embryonic stem cells have shown little to no positive conclusions. Taxpayers should not be funding research that intentionally kills and uses for research a human being at its very beginning stages of life, especially when there is a viable alternative that does not take life.

The election emphatically repudiated the so-called “conventional wisdom” that talking about abortion loses races and social issues are of little importance.  There was a net 52-seat gain of Pro-Life Members in the House, an unprecedented statement that voters reject taxpayer-funded abortion and want a more conservative, pro-life legislature moving forward.

We urge all conservative and Republican leaders to join us in calling for the above actions. Responding to the American people, who spoke loudly and clearly on Election Day, doesn’t have to wait … nor should it.

LifeNews.com Note: Penny Nance is the CEO of Concerned Women for America.