FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 23, 2024

 Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

Sens. Paul, Lee Introduce Legislation to Stop Funding Abortion Overseas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recently, U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act to ensure that foreign aid is not funding or promoting abortions overseas.

“No taxpayer dollar should be used to fund abortion overseas,” said Dr. Paul. “This bill is a step toward reining in foreign spending while also protecting life.”

“Each human life, born and unborn, has immeasurable dignity and worth. The lives of both an unborn baby and her mother matter; and healthcare should heal, protect, and preserve both their lives. Our laws and use of taxpayer money should reflect that truth, which is why I have introduced these bills,” said Sen. Lee. 

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan first instituted the Mexico City Policy, prohibiting the availability of family planning foreign assistance funds to organizations that provide or promote abortions or advocate to change abortion laws in a foreign country. Since then, the policy has been alternately rescinded and reinstated with changing administrations.

The Trump Administration rebranded this policy as the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) policy and applied it to all global health assistance, foreign nonprofits, and NGOs. This bill would permanently codify an expanded version of the PLGHA policy into law, capturing all assistance provided to foreign or domestic nonprofits, NGOs, and multilateral organizations. With President Biden having rescinded the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy in 2021, American citizens may be complicit in overseas abortions under the guise of “foreign assistance.” Congress must ensure this cannot be the case now or ever again. Doing so would affirm the dignity of unborn human lives everywhere and save countless lives across the globe.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD) and Todd Young (R-IN) also cosponsored the legislation.

You can read the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act HERE.

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