WASHINGTON, July 30 /Christian Newswire/ -- Yesterday Congressman Christopher H. Smith, who represents the 4th District of New Jersey, officially filed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (the Act). According to Congressman Smith, the policies codified in the Act ensure that the "American taxpayer is not involved in funding the destruction of innocent human life through abortion on demand."
If the Act becomes law it will protect life because it 1) establishes a government-wide statutory prohibition of taxpayer-funded abortion; 2) reduces the need for separate abortion funding policies; and 3) ensures that no federal program or federal agency is exempt. The Act is drafted so that abortion funding polices will no longer be debated on an "as-needed" basis. Instead the Act establishes as permanent the policies that prevent the destruction of innocent human life. Policies that currently rely on re-approval by Congress, just to name a few, are the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits funding for elective abortion coverage funded through the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, and the Helms Amendment, which prohibits funding for abortion as a method of family planning overseas.
Another important provision in the Act is the conscience clause, which codifies the Hyde-Weldon conscience clause contained within the Hyde Amendment. The conscience clause ensures that recipients of federal funding do not discriminate against healthcare providers because they do not provide, fund, or refer for abortion. Healthcare providers protected by the conscience clause include doctors, nurses and hospitals.
"We congratulate Congressman Smith for authoring a commonsense measure that protects the unborn," states Dana Cody, President and Executive Director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation. "Should this Act become law, Congressman Smith and those who cosponsored the bill will have taken one step toward restoring respect for human life in America."
Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a non-profit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens, committed to the sanctity of human life. For more information, call Dana Cody at (707) 337-6889.
