Pro-life legislators made reference to the use of U.S. programs intended to combat AIDS being used to carry out abortion in a recent congressional debate.
President George W. Bush established the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, to fight AIDS throughout the world. However, at least 21 abortions took place with U.S. funding in Mozambique in violation of U.S. law under the Biden-Harris administration. The nation later refunded $4,000 used to carry out the abortions to the U.S. programs. Yet while pro-life advocates have consistently said the program needs funding guardrails, liberals in Congress have denied the problem — a trend that continued this week.
“Under the Biden administration’s watch, the PEPFAR program violated the Helms Amendment and used taxpayers’ funds to pay for abortions for the very first time,” stated Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) on the House floor on Monday. The amendment, enacted by the late Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina in 1973, forbids the use of all U.S. funding “to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.”
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The Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance, enacted by the Trump administration, further restricted the use of federal funds to disallow abortion advocacy or referrals.
“I was obviously outraged, to say the least, to learn of this shocking betrayal — funds provided by Congress to save lives were instead used to end lives,” said Díaz-Balart.
But Democrats committed to the funding pushed back. “It was an isolated incident,” replied Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.). She added the $4,000 repaid to the U.S. government program “represents a tiny, tiny fraction of the PEPFAR $6.5 billion annual budget.” The allegation echoed discredited claims made by Planned Parenthood that abortion represents a mere “3%” of all its services.
Pro-life advocates feel vindicated by the exchange.
“I’m thankful Representative Díaz-Balart is raising this issue. It’s important that the U.S. government has programs targeting life-saving aid in impoverished countries,” Arielle Del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. “These are worthy goals, but if funds from programs like PEPFAR are used to kill the lives of unborn babies, such acts are not only illegal, they also entirely undermine the goal of providing life-saving care.”
She pointed to additional instances of PEPFAR funds going to abortion-promoting organizations in a recent FRC report.
The Biden-Harris administration called for a reimagination of PEPFAR. “Where possible, PEPFAR will integrate HIV programming into strengthened public health systems to manage … sexual reproductive health, rights and services, as well as other local health priorities that impact PLHIV — to protect HIV/AIDS gains and strengthen health and economic outcomes,” it stated.
Similarly, PEPFAR’s 2023 Country and Regional Operational Plan (COP/ROP) Guidance for all PEPFAR-supported countries envisioned the AIDS-fighting organization closely cooperating “with organizations advocating for structural, systemic, and institutional reforms in law and policy regarding sexual, reproductive, and economic services for women.”
Such phrases are euphemisms for the abortion industry.
“Programs intended to save lives should only be saving lives, not betraying the trust of American taxpayers by illegally funding abortions overseas,” Del Turco told TWS. “We need to put stronger accountability mechanisms in place to make sure U.S. laws are being followed by those receiving government grants.”
LifeNews Note: Ben Johnson is senior reporter and editor at The Washington Stand.
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Author: Ben Johnson
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