(CNS News) — Last week, the Democrat-dominant House of Representatives passed several major spending bills that did not include the Helms Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortion in other countries.
Rev. Franklin Graham denounced the Democrats’ action, stating that “abortion is murder,” and “Democrats in Washington want to use your taxpayer dollars to fund abortions around the world.”
The Helms Amendment was passed in 1973 and has been included in every foreign assistance and foreign-related spending bill since that time. However, last week the House passed the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs spending bill and did not attach the Helms Amendment to the legislation.
In addition, the House passed spending bills for Labor, HHS, and Financial Services but excluded the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds for abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
For the first time in nearly 50 years the Helms and Hyde Amendments were dropped.
In a July 30 post on Facebook, Rev. Graham said, “Democrats in Washington want to use your taxpayer dollars to fund abortions around the world. The Helms Amendment, named for my good friend, pro-life Senator Jesse Helms of NC who passed away in 2008, was put in place nearly 50 years ago to prevent this from happening.”
“This week, Democrats in the House voted to repeal the Helms Amendment and use U.S. tax dollars to pay for abortions internationally,” said Graham.
“This is not only wrong on every level, but it’s not what the American people want,” he added. “A Marist poll showed that 76 percent of Americans said they oppose using tax dollars to support abortion in other countries, while only 21 percent support it.”
“Abortion is murder and has serious repercussions,” said Graham. “This bill will go before the Senate next—pray that it will be stopped.”
Commenting on the Democrats’ actions, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said on July 29, “Biden-Pelosi Democrats doubled down on abortion extremism today, scrapping decades of bipartisan consensus that #HydeSavesLives.”
“Nearly 2.5 million of our fellow Americans are living thanks to the original Hyde Amendment alone – with the largest impact felt in poor and historically marginalized communities,” she said. “Yet House Democrats have eliminated vital protections for the vulnerable and attacked the motives of the strong majority of Americans who support them, including colleagues and countless rank-and-file Democrats and Independents nationwide. They do so at their own political peril.”