“President Trump’s new, comprehensive Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance policy is humane, life-affirming, and rejects the culture of death,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.

             “It conditions critical funding—$30 billion of foreign aid—to serve our national interest as well as humanitarian and health priorities, instead of bankrolling UN entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that promote and perform abortion violence,” Smith stated.

             “Unborn children and their mothers deserve protection, compassion, and genuine care—not abortion pills that starve the baby to death and harm women, or other violent assaults on the baby, including dismemberment. The new policy represents how foreign assistance should be spent,” he continued.

             “President Trump’s new policy ends ‘Abortion President’ Joe Biden’s hijacking of global foreign assistance to promote abortion-on-demand around the world, including through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

             “The Trump policy also ensures that U.S. taxpayers will not be forced to fund non-government organizations that promote, lobby or perform abortion-on-demand in foreign countries, including in nations protecting unborn children from abortion in law or policy.”

             A new national Marist poll released today found that a huge majority of Americans—69 %—oppose using tax dollars to support abortion in other countries.

             “The implementation of President Trump’s ‘Protecting Life’ policy and final rule will not reduce the amount of available U.S. foreign health assistance. Rather, it redirects this funding to support assistance for women and children in-need, provided by organizations that do not promote the abortion-on-demand agenda,” noted Smith.

             Trump’s “Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance” (also known as the Mexico City Policy) was first announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 at the UN’s International Conference on Population held in Mexico City.  

             In 1985, Rep. Smith offered a successful amendment to HR 1420 to save the policy. During that debate, Smith said, “Abortion is a violation of an unborn child’s right to continue living, and should be rejected…”

             “President Trump’s historic policy announcement, arriving on the eve of the annual March for Life, will save countless innocent lives,” concluded Smith.

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