The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken steps to protect life, such as halting federal funding for overseas programs that that fund or counsel abortions, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Wednesday while testifying before the House Appropriations Committee.
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) provided a few examples of how the Biden administration consistently ignored the consciences of pro-life Americans.
“For example, the Centers for Disease Control revealed at the end of the Biden administration that the CDC-funded nurses in Mozambique were performing abortions,” he said, citing law which prohibits U.S. foreign aid from funding abortions.
“In addition to that, the Biden administration punished states by denying them Title X funding for refusing to provide abortion counseling in violation of state law. Can you talk to us for a couple of minutes, or whatever, about steps that you see the department are now taking to protect the right to life and the conscience rights of pro-life medical providers and also medical students?” the lawmaker asked.
Kennedy quickly identified every abortion as a “tragedy,” adding, “I don’t believe that our nation can live up to its role as a moral authority around the globe when we have hundreds of thousands, if not [a] million abortions per year in our country.”
“And under President Trump’s leadership, I have ended federal funding to the kind of — the programs — the overseas programs — that fund abortions or counsel abortions,” he said.
Further, Kennedy said they have also withheld Title X funding from NGOs “that refuse to differentiate the funding streams, so that the federal government and my agency can’t tell whether money that is being sent to that agency is being used for legitimate family planning issues, or it’s being used to counsel or fund abortion.
“And we have said that as soon as they make it, as soon as they differentiate, that we begin refunding them. I think at this point, the administration is now fed up with that, and you know, the budget that is proposed by OMB is a budget that cuts out Title X funding, because they don’t believe that these NGOs actually, in good faith, comply with the law,” Kennedy added.
WATCH the entire hearing below:
