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Bars taxpayer funding of abortion in federal grant program                                                                                                                   

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) successfully amended a bill (H.R. 1216) today with a pro-life measure that bars taxpayer funding for elective abortions in a federal grant program contained in H.R 1216.   The amendment passed the House with bipartisan support 234-182.

“The great majority of Americans do not want their tax dollars paying for abortions,” Foxx said.  “My amendment places important pro-life protections in this federal grant program to ensure taxpayers aren’t footing the bill for the abhorrent practice of abortion.”

H.R. 1216 is a bill that alters a federal grant program that provides funding to teaching health centers to establish or expand residency programs.  Foxx’s amendment bars this taxpayer-funded grant program from paying for abortions or paying for training abortion doctors.  Her amendment also includes a conscience clause that ensures taxpayer dollars do not underwrite teaching health centers that discriminate against care providers who do not offer abortions.

“Should taxpayers foot the bill for elective abortions or to train abortion doctors?  I don’t think so,” Foxx said.  “If organizations want to provide elective abortions or train abortion doctors they need to find someone other than taxpayers to write the checks.  Taxpayers should not be on the hook for subsidizing the abortion industry.”

The Foxx amendment is distinct from the Hyde Amendment in that it provides a permanent, rather than an annually renewed, prohibition of taxpayer-funded abortions and taxpayer-funded abortion training in the federal residency grant program.  Foxx’s amendment received support from 21 groups including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Family Research Council Action, the Christian Medical Association, the National Right to Life Committee and the Susan B. Anthony List.