President Biden's Priority of Forcing Taxpayers into a Partnership with the Abortion Industry Won't Bring Unity, says Family Research Council

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Democratic President Joe Biden, among his first official acts, today rescinded the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy (PLGHA), which prevents federal funds from going to foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that perform abortions or "actively promote" abortion as a method of family planning in other countries.

PLGHA, which establishes the principle that overseas abortions should not be funded with U.S. taxpayer dollars, has been embraced by every Republican president since President Ronald Reagan first adopted it in 1984 as the Mexico City Policy, and it has been repudiated by every Democratic president. President Donald Trump twice extended the policy beyond previous administrations, by expanding the scope of the policy to include all global health dollars and funds paid to subcontractors in the prohibition on abortion funding. The Trump policy ensured U.S. aid continued to flow to health care, humanitarian relief, and even family planning in the millions of dollars. It just did not subsidize the abortion industry overseas.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins criticized President Biden's swift repeal of the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy: 

"President Biden is returning to the pro-abortion policies of Barack Obama and forcing taxpayers back into a partnership with the overseas abortion industry.  

"The abortion industry is well known for relentlessly pursuing taxpayer dollars ? and will exploit any opportunity to grab U.S. taxpayer money. With this action, President Biden is throwing aside any notion of uniting or 'healing' America's political division and is demonstrating that 'unity' means conformity to the goals and priorities of the Left. 

"Family Research Council and the pro-life movement will always affirm the universal ideal that all human beings have inherent worth and dignity, regardless of their age or nationality. We will continue fighting to create a culture of life in which every child is welcomed into this world and protected under our laws, both here and abroad," concluded Perkins.

Mary Szoch, Director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, added:

"Over 75% of Americans oppose taxpayer funding for abortions abroad. In repealing the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy, President Joe Biden sided with the abortion industry over the American people. Though President Biden has promised to bring our nation together, his immediate attack on the most vulnerable among us, the unborn, will only cause further division. Abortion takes the life of an unborn child?executive action forcing American taxpayers to pay for this atrocity certainly isn't unifying.

"We applaud pro-life members of Congress who are leading the charge to counter this administration's radical abortion policies.  We fully support the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Act lead by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) which would permanently codify PLGHA so that funding abortion businesses overseas is not up to the preference of the current president," concluded Szoch.

SOURCE Family Research Council