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Mt. Airy News
June 25, 2007

In a move intended to keep the United States’ taxpayer dollars out of the hands of groups that promote abortion, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx voted in support of an amendment to restore the Mexico City Policy. The Mexico City Policy, first enacted by President Reagan in 1984, ensures that organizations doing international population assistance work that promote abortion as a family planning method do not receive U.S. funding.

“This is a critical policy that underscores the sanctity of human life by telling groups that if they want to promote abortion, they had better find a source of funding other than the U.S. taxpayer,” Foxx said during a debate in the House of Representatives. “It’s quite simple. If a group demonstrates a disregard for human life, they don’t get any funding.”

The current wording of the foreign operations spending bill allows funds to flow to groups that promote abortion. Foxx voted to support the “Smith/Stupak amendment” to the bill which would eliminate the bill language that allows funding to go to groups that promote abortion.

“Let me be clear,” Foxx said. “The Mexico City Policy and this amendment do not reduce funding for family planning programs. The focus is instead on channeling funds to organizations that remain neutral on the abortion issue. There is, therefore, no overall reduction in family planning funds.”

This amendment reinstates the Mexico City Policy, which would improve the credibility of international family planning programs by ensuring that they are entirely separated from abortion activities. It does not reduce funding for international family planning efforts or for the distribution of critical contraceptives to needy families in developing countries.