Republican Bill Would Stop Biden From Funding Abortion Travel for Members of the Military

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Mar 3, 2023   |   5:51PM   |   Washington, DC

House Republicans introduced legislation this week to protect unborn babies and American taxpayers from President Joe Biden’s aggressive attempts to expand abortions through the military.

Fox News reports the bill, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson and Chip Roy, both of Texas, would stop the Department of Defense from using tax dollars to pay for abortion-related travel expenses for military service members and their families.

“The Biden administration’s flagrantly political decision to create an abortion travel slush fund both flies in the face of current law and violates nearly half a century of bipartisan consensus to protect Americans’ conscience rights by preventing taxpayer dollars from funding most abortions,” Roy told the news outlet. “Our military is not a political pawn for the left’s social agenda.”

In February, the Biden administration skirted federal laws that ban taxpayer funding for elective abortions by announcing the Department of Defense will begin paying travel costs and time off for military service members and their families to get elective abortions.

Approximately 4,1000 more unborn babies could be killed in abortions every year under the new policy, Republican lawmakers said.

Jackson slammed the Biden administration’s actions as “unacceptable,” saying they “must be stopped immediately” for the sake of all Americans, born and unborn.

SUPPORT LIFENEWS! To help us stand against Joe Biden’s abortion agenda, please help LifeNews.com with a donation!

“The DoD exists to protect our national security interests and to defend against our enemies, and it has no business using taxpayer dollars to contribute to the demise of the unborn,” he said.

Here’s more from the report:

The Department of Defense released details of the plan last month and said it would take effect in mid-March. Under the policy, service members will have up to 20 weeks into their pregnancy to notify their superiors and request travel for an abortion.

The policy asks top officials in the service branches to grant administrative absence for abortions. Those will allow leave without any loss in pay.

Pro-life lawmakers at the state and federal level are fighting the Biden administration’s plans to expand the killing of unborn babies in abortions.

Recently, 15 state attorneys general warned the Biden administration that they will sue if VA hospitals start aborting unborn babies in violation of their state pro-life laws. In response to the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, Biden proposed a rule that requires Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals to provide taxpayer-funded abortions “regardless of state restrictions” – a clear violation of the law, the attorneys generals said.

The Biden administration claims the rule only applies to abortions in “limited circumstances”: rape, incest and threats to the mother’s life or health. However, “health” can be broadly defined and statements from department leaders suggest abortions will be allowed more broadly.

All pro-life laws allow abortions when the mother’s life is at risk and, in some states, cases of rape and incest. These make up a very small percent of all abortions in the U.S. Research from the Charlotte Lozier Institute found about 96 percent of abortions are for purely elective reasons.

Polls consistently show strong public opposition to taxpayer-funded abortions. A new Marist poll found 60 percent of Americans oppose using tax dollars to fund abortions in the U.S. Additionally, 78 percent oppose using tax dollars to fund abortions in other countries.

In February, LifeNews published a list of 25 recent polls that show Americans support legal protections for unborn babies.