| Congressman Rich Nugent responded to my email:
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October 7, 2011
Dear Rev. Mr. Giglio,
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding federal funding of abortions. I recognize the very sensitive and personal nature of legislation like this and appreciate hearing from you on this matter.
I have always been open about the fact that I am strongly pro-life. As a father and as a devout Christian, I cannot support any legislation that would allow tax dollars to go towards paying for abortions. Honestly, I don't think that any Member of Congress who truly represents his or her constituents could support using their taxes in such a manner.
As you may know, Congress currently prohibits taxpayer funding of abortions through a patchwork system of amendments attached to appropriations bills. For example, the Hyde amendment prohibits funding for elective abortion coverage through any program funded through the annual Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Act. The Helms amendment prohibits funding for abortion as a method of family planning overseas. Then there is the Smith amendment, which prohibits funding for elective abortion coverage for federal employees receiving health insurance benefits through the federal government. These amendments must be approved by Congress every year to ensure our tax dollars are protected.
Many pieces of legislation have already been introduced during the 112th Congress to codify these various amendments, making them permanent parts of our nation's policies. These bills include H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ); H.R. 217, Rep. Mike Pence's (R-IN) Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from providing assistance to any entity that provides abortions; and H.R. 358, the Protect Life Act, by Rep. Joe Pitts, which amends the new healthcare law to prohibit federal funds from being to used to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion services.
As you know, on May 4, 2011, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. This bipartisan bill ensures that no tax dollars can be used to help pay for elective, on demand abortions. H.R. 3 does not change existing laws. Instead, H.R. 3 makes permanent the patchwork series of amendments that Congress has routinely attached to annual spending bills for well over 30 years. I was proud to not only to vote for H.R. 3, but also to be a cosponsor of this important legislation and to play a leading role in bringing it to the House floor for a vote.
Moving forward, I will keep an eye on all of these bills. I also give you my word that I will never stray from my pro-life stance, should these or any other relevant bills come to the House floor for a vote.
Thank you again for contacting me regarding the abortion related legislation that the 112th Congress is considering. This is an issue that is important to the 5th District and it's an issue that is important to me. I hope to hear from you again soon about any other issues that may be on your mind. To that effect, please feel free to call, email, or write me any time. Also, if you would like to receive a weekly update about this and other issues currently being considered by Congress, I encourage you to visit my website: http://nugent.house.gov to sign up for the SITREP – my weekly "situation report" newsletter from Congress.
Sincerely, Richard Nugent
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