The Family Research Council’s 14th Annual Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. hit on several concerns facing American Christians and Conservatives today. Program participants spoke on ending birthday abortions (and international abortion), protecting the conscious rights, freedom of religion/speech and building a government that looks to secure righteous policies.
Is the pro-life movement making strides?
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC), Representative Roger Marshall (R-KS), were a few legislators who delivered speeches on the topic of abortion.
And they agree the pro-life agenda is seeing many advances.
Alex Azar, sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services on Jan. 29, 2018, made it unequivocally clear at VVS that the United States will not fund international abortion or tolerate language that “implies there is an international right to abortion. We will boldly proclaim that there is no such right. We will hold U.N. agencies accountable when they drift into such advocacy, and we will continue to protect life around the world.”
HHS is working closely with Secretary Pompeo and the State Department to realize President Trump’s expanded Mexico City policy Azar as well.
“Under that policy, protecting life in global health assistance, we’ve worked to ensure that HHS’ global health assistance is not provided to foreign, non-governmental organizations that provide or promote abortion as a method of family planning. The Mexico City policy has always attracted all kinds of criticism, with claims about how it would imperil the important work that we do overseas.”
The Mexico City Policy stops backdoor funding to foreign NGO’s who actively fund abortions. This policy was initially launched by the Reagan Administration at the International Population Conference Mexico City in 1984. Reagan maintained that the U.S. would not contribute funds to non-governmental organizations promoting abortion “as a method of family planning in other nations.” This became known as the Mexico City Policy. The Mexico City Policy was revoked by President Bill Clinton, reinstated by George W. Bush — only to be reversed again by Barack Obama’s Administration.
Additionally, HHS began implementing a rule that enforces statutory requirements under Title X by no longer allowing family planning services to be funded by taxpayer dollars. Abortion-providing Title X recipients pulled out of the program and stopped giving health care to women in need rather than following the law passed by Congress, Azar added.
“You know, the new Title X regulation also protects women and children who have been victims of abuse, molestation, trafficking, and a number of other crimes, which complies with a requirement passed by Congress that the previous administration had ignored.
We rescinded an Obama administration guidance that prevented states from taking actions against providers that may be necessary to prevent Medicaid funds from going to fund abortion.”
President Trump is making a difference in the pro-life agenda and the prayers of many are being answered under the administration.
“… I was visiting with an archbishop, and he made the comment that President Trump is the most pro-life president that we’ve ever had. And I’m telling you, that’s an answer to your prayers,” said Marshall, a former obstetrician and representative for Kansas’ first Congressional District. “It is absolutely an answer to your prayers – that for such a time as this – such a time as this God is going to use President Trump for his pro-life agenda. This is the president that gave us two Supreme Court judges that are pro-life. And he may have a chance to appoint another one. And who knows, next term when President Trump wins again he may have a change to appoint more pro-life judges as well. So absolutely. So proud of this pro-life president, and to work with Republicans that want to be pro-life as well.”
Meadows echoed the president’s commitment to delivering on campaign promises in addition to his work on ending abortion. “He (President Trump) also works harder than anybody I’ve ever met. I mean, he will work all through the night. I mean, there are phone calls that he makes in the middle of the night. He will oftentimes go on two or three hours of sleep,” said Meadows, a former businessman, who is serving a fourth term in Congress.
“You know, early on in the administration I tell the story – and I won’t go through all the details today – but I was – I was actually there in the Oval Office. I got to go to the Oval Office. I know it comes as a shock to many of you, I was never invited there under the previous administration. But as I went there, there was a huge whiteboard in this – in this side room, just off the Oval Office. And in that – on that whiteboard was every single campaign promise that he had made, when he had made it, and they were going down, checking them off one by one because this is a promise-keeping president.”
