FGGAM News just received this news release from the office of NM Congressman Steve Pearce:
GAO REPORT FINDS OVER $1.5 BILLION TAX DOLLARS SPENT ON ABORTION SERVICE PROVIDERS
Washington, DC (March 8, 2018) Congressman Steve Pearce released the following statement after the release of the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report on the amount of taxpayer dollars that went towards funding for abortion service providers, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), Marie Stopes International (MSI), and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF):
“Congress has the responsibility to protect the rights and liberties of all American taxpayers, and to be transparent about how their hard-earned money is being spent. It has become common practice for the federal government to force taxpaying Americans, regardless of their conscience beliefs and faith, to foot the bill for organizations that provide abortion services. This is flat out wrong. Not only does it fly in the face of our nation’s freedoms and values, but it disrespects the sanctity of life. All human life is precious. I will continue working to ensure that all life brought into this world is valued and to stand up for the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves. Moving forward, Congress must look at policies, both foreign and domestic, to make sure the Constitutional rights and liberties of Americans are put first.”
Background
Over 120 Members of Congress, both the House and Senate, requested the report which found that three organizations spent $410 million in federal funding between 2013 and 2015, while they received $1.2 billion federal and state funds. Altogether, more than $1.5 billion in taxpayer dollars funded abortion providers in the span of three years.
While the Hyde Amendment prevents any direct funding for abortions, federal dollars are fungible, meaning taxpayer dollars can be used to provide additional funding for abortion services. Further, there are no Hyde protections for state funds in New Mexico. Women who have New Mexico Medicaid and other HHS funding are currently able to use state tax dollars to fund abortions up to and including third trimester abortions.
