WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2021 (C-Fam) – The COVID-19 relief bill passed by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives last week bypasses longstanding pro-life protections in federal law to prevent U.S. foreign assistance from paying for abortions, including the Helms Amendment.
The bill makes funding for abortion groups available through $8.6 billion for the global response to the pandemic. The global response to the pandemic led by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres designates reproductive health, including abortion, as essential to the COVID-19 response.
The COVID-19 bill, which overall appropriates $1.9 trillion, passed the House last week and is expected to be debated and adopted by the Senate by this weekend. Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wyoming, promised to stall the bill by calling for a full reading of the relief bill.
The bill can pass with a simple majority because Senate Democrats are using special budgetary rules to avoid a Senate filibuster.
The COVID-19 bill appropriates over $500 million in foreign assistance for humanitarian emergencies, $204 millions for State Department operations, and $41 million for USAID operating expenses that are not covered by the Helms and Siljander Amendments that, respectively, prohibit U.S. funds from being used to perform or promote abortion overseas.
More troubling
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at LifeSite News
The views expressed in this news alert by the author do not directly represent that of The Official Street Preachers or its editors