From Speaker of the House Paul Ryan –
In December, at the 11th hour of its tenure, the Obama administration pushed through a rule that effectively forces states to fund abortion services through Planned Parenthood.
Tomorrow, using the Congressional Review Act, the House will vote to strike down that rule.
This legislation fulfills two promises made to the American people:
1. It restores federalism, giving states their rightful powers under the Constitution.
The Health and Human Services rule bans states from withholding Title X funds from organizations that perform abortions, like Planned Parenthood. Many states have distributed these funds, not to Planned Parenthood, but to effective community health centers that do not perform abortions. Ultimately, states know the needs of their communities better than bureaucrats in Washington. But this regulation strips states of their longstanding ability to decide how federal funds should be used in their state. This repeal would restore the proper balance of powers.
2. It is pro-life.
Taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortion, plain and simple. Just a few weeks ago, hundreds of thousands of people came to Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their commitment to life. Speaker Ryan has long been a defender of the right to religious liberty, and this regulation violates that right.
The federal government should not be in the business of forcing Americans to fund abortion procedures. That’s why we will vote to repeal this morally reprehensible provision.
