More than $1.5 billion in tax dollars was used to fund to U.S. abortion providers over a three-year period, according to a bombshell report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office.
The study, requested by more than 120 Members of the House and Senate, was spearheaded by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Rep. Pete Olson, R-Texas, and Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn. Outraged by the findings, Congresswoman Black said, “Abortion is not family planning. I spent my entire career as a nurse fighting for the dignity of every human being, and I have witnessed the emotional, physical and psychological effects abortion has on mothers. All of us in the health care field took an oath to fight for life, and abortion destroys that.”
“Abortion is family destruction,” she charged. “And the fact that $1.5 billion in taxpayer dollars is funneled to this industry is sickening. The American people deserve better.”
The report found that three abortion providers—Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), Marie Stopes International (MSI) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)—spent $410 million in federal funding between 2013 and 2015.
Meanwhile, they also received $1.2 billion in combined federal and state funds under federal health programs that require shared funding. According to the report, it all adds up to a whopping $1.5 billion in tax dollars over three years.
“This report once again illustrates the absurd amount of taxpayer dollars funding the nation’s single largest provider of abortion services, Planned Parenthood, and its international affiliate organizations,” said Sen. Ernst.
Particularly egregious: Four of the five Planned Parenthood affiliates spending the largest amount of federal funds are part of an ongoing Department of Justice investigation for possible criminal misconduct regarding fetal tissue transfer.
“Industry giants like Planned Parenthood perform more than 320,000 abortions every year, and this GAO report exposes that these atrocities are done at the expense of taxpayers,” Black said. “No matter our views on abortion, or the party label beside our name, we must ensure that our money is spent responsibly and with integrity.”
Congressman Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, agreed, touting the president’s Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy as a step in the right direction.
“Thankfully, under President Trump’s Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy, international abortion groups like MSI and IPPF must agree to not perform or promote abortion in order to receive taxpayer dollars. This reform ensures that US international aid funds life-affirming care for both women and children,” he said.
“A similar protection should become the standard for all government funding,” he continued. “Abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood—responsible for killing more than 7 million unborn children—must no longer be subsidized by the American taxpayer.”
Reprinted with permission from CBN.com. Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, all rights reserved. {eoa}
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