Ethics &
Religion
Feb. 2, 2017
Column #1,849
Hundreds of Thousands Marched for Life
By Mike McManus
Psalm 139 praises God, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me
together in my mother's womb. I praise you, l because I am fearfully and
wonderfully made."
Yet in 2014 926,200 babies were aborted in the United States according
to the Guttmacher Institute. There are two pieces of good news, however.
The numbers were down 14% since 2011. And they have fallen from 1.6
million in 1990.
I am one of those who is passionately PRO LIFE, and am grateful to the
organizers of the March for Life, who attracted several hundred thousand
people to hear Vice President Mike Pence declare that the Trump
Administration is determined to advance the fight against abortion. "We
will not grow weary. We will not rest, until we restore a culture of
life in America for ourselves and our posterity."
As the first Vice President ever to address the annual March for Life,
Pence said the Administration is committed to "end taxpayer funding of
abortion and abortion providers," like Planned Parenthood. For 30 years,
Congress has attached the "Hyde Amendment" to appropriations bills to
prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions or for health
care plans that included abortion coverage.
"Abortion is not health care, but Obamacare violates this longstanding
consensus and bypasses the Hyde Amendment by giving taxpayer subsidies
for abortions in the form of tax credits for healthcare plans which
include abortion coverage," charges Tony Perkins, President of the
Family Research Council.
To end such subsidies, the House just enacted H.R. 7, the "No Taxpayer
Funding for Abortion Act." That would make the Hyde Amendment permanent.
Secondly, Planned Parenthood should no longer receive federal funding.
Planned Parenthood is awarded approximately $500 million a year in
taxpayer funds, according to the Government Accounting Office. It claims
none of the money is used for abortions, but Planned Parenthood
conducted 324,000 abortions in 2014 - by far America's largest abortion
provider.
President Trump has already taken another important pro-life step. In
one of his first official acts, he issued an Executive Order to halt
federal funds from going to foreign non-governmental organizations that
perform abortions or "actively promote" abortion as a method of family
planning.
President Ronald Reagan signed the first such order in 1984 at the UN
population conference in Mexico City. U.S. aid would be limited to
health care, humanitarian relief and even family planning, but would not
subsidize abortion overseas. However, President Clinton rescinded the
Mexico City policy after his Inauguration in 1993.
President George Bush restored the order on Jan. 22, 2001, noting that
U.S. funds were "complicit in China's forced abortion and sterilization
program," and withdrew federal funding.
However, President Obama ignored such facts and rescinded Bush's order!
Trump has now put it back in place.
Polls show it was a popular step. A new Marist poll reports 83% oppose
federal funding of overseas abortions, and almost two-thirds of
Americans oppose federal funding of U.S. abortions.
Furthermore, 74% - including 54% of pro-choice individuals - support
placing some restrictions on abortion, such as limiting it to the first
three months of pregnancy or only for "extreme" cases of rape, incest or
the mother's health.
Yet there have been 58 million U.S. abortions since Roe v. Wade, despite
44 years of March for Life events.
Mother Teresa once said "Abortion is profoundly anti-woman. Choosing
life empowers women."
What is often forgotten is the "adoption option." Steve Jobs, co-founder
of the Apple Computer, was adopted. There are 650,000 adopted children
in America.
Rep. Mia Love told the March for Life about a couple in Utah who became
pregnant 41 years ago after having two children. They were hard-pressed
financially and considered abortion, but gave birth. And that baby
became the first black female Republican ever elected to Congress - Rep.
Mia Love. As she told the crowd, "Each living child has the potential
for greatness....I survived Roe v. Wade!"
May her story inspire Americans to cherish all lives - whether in the
womb or as a child, or as an adult.
The Word of God tells us to "Rescue those who are being taken away to
death, hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter." (Proverbs
24:11)
Every life matters.
____________________________________
Copyright (c) 2017 Michael J. McManus,
President of Marriage Savers and a syndicated columnist. For previous
columns go to
www.ethicsandreligion.org. Hit
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