Baron's Big Abortion Lie

During the last campaign, Baron Hill spent a lot of time claiming he was a defender of Hoosier values.

He even said he was against abortion (though in a little-noticed slip-up at the IUS Forum in September, he said he opposed overturning Roe v. Wade).

Once again, however, Baron has told the voters of the 9th District one thing, and he has gone to Washington and voted differently.

Last night, Baron voted to send American tax dollars overseas to groups that promote abortions (House Roll Call #542), gutting the so-called Mexico City policy set by Ronald Reagan.

A bipartisan amendment was offered by Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey and Democrat Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan to remove that language from the appropriations bill.

Baron Hill voted against that amendment (House Roll Call #534).

Thursday night, he voted not just once but twice to use taxpayer money to promote abortions outside of the United States.

The legislation not only allows money to be given to groups that promote abortions, it requires that they be given such money (just see page 97).

House Republican Leader John Boehner blasted H.R. 2764 in a statement (emphases mine):

Had it been approved, [the Smith-Stupak amendment] would have preserved our current pro-life policies and protected taxpayers from being forced to export abortion overseas.

It is sad that the majority seems to think American taxpayers should be subsidizing abortions in foreign countries. Is this the sort of thing Democrats had in mind when they voted for the largest tax hike in history? My colleagues on the other side are walking a bizarre tight rope, claiming on one hand that they are trying to reduce the number of abortions abroad while at the same time pouring resources into organizations that perform and promote them. They can’t have it both ways.

National Right to Life joined in, saying:

Originally adopted by President Reagan and announced at a 1984 population conference in Mexico City, in order to be eligible for U.S. "population assistance” under this policy, a private organization must sign a contract promising not to perform abortions (except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incest), and not to lobby to change the abortion laws of host countries, or otherwise "actively promote abortion as a method of family planning." [H.R. 2764] reverses the prohibition...

A vote on HR 2764 will come up tomorrow or Friday. Pro-life Reps. Chris Smith and Bart Stupak (the co-chairs of the House Pro-Life Caucus) will offer an amendment to remove the language that would mandate U.S. subsidies to organizations that actively promote abortion in foreign nations.

Yet again, Baron's record in Washington bears no resemblance to his rhetoric back home.

And to their credit, Brad Ellsworth and Joe Donnelly voted for the amendment to remove those provisions (though the amendment failed and they voted for the end bill that still does contain those abortion funding provisions).

Baron Hill is alone in left field on this one.