Do USA Taxpayers Pay for Abortions?
Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective
I’m familiar with the Hyde Amendment but for those who are not, a bit of explanation is probably necessary.
The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976 and affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1980, prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or endangerment to the life of the mother. The law effectively leaves the decision of funding abortion to the states, and most states choose not to.
So, theoretically, American taxpayer dollars can only be used for abortions under the cases of 1) rape, 2) incest, or 3) endangerment to the life of the mother. This is what is supposed to be actual, but questions arise from Cecille Richards’ own testimony before Congress regarding Planned Parenthood’s funding and use of taxpayer dollars to provide abortion for women.
In her testimony before Congress, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards repeatedly insisted that federal law already prohibits Planned Parenthood from using tax dollars for abortions.
Unfortunately, as we’ve seen from the Hyde Amendment itself, what Richards “repeatedly insisted” is simply not true as there are three categories under which women can have their abortions paid for by American taxpayer dollars. In essence then, either Richards is completely unaware of these “loopholes” built into the Hyde Amendment or she is simply lying to protect herself and her organization, Planned Parenthood.
If the Hyde Amendment allows for taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions under certain conditions, is it possible then that people would find ways to abuse these built-in loopholes? For instance, does a woman have to prove that she was raped or was the victim of incest before tax dollars pay for an abortion?
The Hyde Amendment does not prevent states from making taxpayers pay for elective abortions, and many states are effectively doing this through their Medicaid programs. Thus, in 17 states taxpayers are compelled to pay for most abortions. In California alone, it appears taxpayers are paying for roughly 80,000 abortions per year—in the state where StemExpress has been buying infant body parts from Planned Parenthood clinics.
In essence then, according to the above paragraph, Planned Parenthood benefits twice from many abortions. First, tax dollars seem to often pay for abortions in spite of the restrictions of the Hyde Amendment and, second, infant body parts are sold for stem cell and other research.
There are several states within America that literally force their taxpayers to pay for abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics.
New York requires its taxpayers to pay for elective abortions through Medicaid, but these abortions are still not supposed to be paid by federal taxpayer dollars because of the Hyde Amendment. But audits have revealed that New York, and apparently Planned Parenthood specifically, was billing federal taxpayers for elective abortions.
Of course, New York is not the only state within America that does this. Other states have jumped on that bandwagon as well.
A Washington state audit of Planned Parenthood in 2007-2008 found that it had billed taxpayers for a drug used in abortion. Because the audit looked at only a small sample of Planned Parenthood’s billings, this may not have been an isolated event.
…California, has taken it several steps further and forced not just taxpayers but the insurance plans of churches (paid from tithe money) to pay for elective abortions. While this abortion mandate blatantly violates federal law, the Obama administration has refused to intervene.
…Sue Thayer worked for 17 years for Planned Parenthood in Iowa, directing two clinics. After her employment at Planned Parenthood ended in 2009 over its implementation of webcam abortions, she became a whistleblower, alleging over $26 million in fraud against U.S. and Iowa taxpayers by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. (emphasis added in each paragraph)
The sad reality is that whenever government steps in to curtail a practice, corrupt people soon find ways around any laws or amendments set up. In the case of Planned Parenthood, it would seem that the American taxpayer – whether we like it or not and in spite of the Hyde Amendment – continues to foot the bill for the thousands of abortions that occur each year throughout America.
Recently, President Trump has offered Planned Parenthood the option of keeping their federal funding if they stop doing abortions or losing their funding. CEO Richards has refused to stop providing abortions.
Planned Parenthood – so-called – is in the business of murdering unborn children. They do not have mammogram machines and therefore do not offer mammogram services to women. Moreover, birth control, whether condoms, pills, or something else, are readily available at most drug stores nationwide. Beyond this, the pill is a relatively inexpensive form of birth control that women can opt to take. These forms of birth control are used to prevent pregnancies. Abortion kills a fertilized egg and growing fetus and unfortunately, this is murder whether the fascist left chooses to see it that way or not. They can deny all they care to but their denials do not change the facts of the matter any more than a man who chooses to identify as a woman changes their sex/gender. Chromosomes don’t lie.
In today’s America, tax dollars are often used to kill unborn babies. Many of the women who use Planned Parenthood abortion clinics are repeat offenders and for them, having an abortion is their form of “birth control.” If someone wants to have an abortion, that is certainly up to them and currently, it is legally allowed under the laws of the United States. However, tax dollars should not be used to pay for abortions. In spite of the limited use under the Hyde Amendment, it would seem that Planned Parenthood has found many ways around it.
This needs to stop but it likely will not. The Left constantly complains about tax dollars being used to fund illegal wars, but if the Fascist Left had its way completely, America would be a socialist state without limits. Everything would be free, sovereign borders would not exist, and the USA would become another third world country where the playing field is completely leveled to the lowest common denominator.
What has made America great is the fact that hard work, ideas, and free exchange of those ideas have allowed people to be what they want to be. Yes, there are abuses of the system of capitalism, but that is due to the heart of those who abuse it, not because of capitalism itself.
The heart of mankind is often given over to cheating, lying, stealing, and even murder. Capitalism cannot address or change that anymore than socialism can.
I asked the woman on Twitter who boasts of being a “liberal Christian” how she reconciled the murder of unborn children with obedience to God. Her responses are as follows:
“People have the right to bodily autonomy. And until every born child is loved and safe, I’m not going to judge those”
“I believe [life] begins at viability. If it can be born and survive without being in the womb.”
“I’m aware he’s Lord.
But truthfully you know nothing about me other than a very short interaction –don’t judge
”
There were other responses as well. Notice how she used the term “judge” in a negative way to try to imply that I was judging women who had abortions? This was certainly not the case at all and I pointed this out to her, stating that I was “Not judging you at all. Lord will judge all of us. We were discussing. Sorry if you feel guilty…”
As part of her response, she also referred to an article on “The Christian Left” blog site in which the question of whether or not unborn children are “viable.” In other words, if a woman has an abortion of the fetus she carries, is she really killing another human being? The article in question – “The Bible Tells Us When A Fetus Becomes A Living Being” – attempts to prove that the Bible teaches that only after the child is born and is viable is it actually considered a human being by God Himself.
Unfortunately, as readers will learn if they take time to read through the article, it is filled with out-of-context Scripture and misinterpretation of sections of Scripture itself. One case is found in Ezekiel 37 (Valley of the Dry Bones), where the author attempts to show that it is only after bones and flesh and sinews are fully developed and when God gives that individual the breath of life, does the person become an actual person. Unfortunately for the author of the article, the truth of Ezekiel 37 is found in the fact that it is an allegorical passage that refers directly to the nation of Israel and their resurrection in the latter days as we learn in Ezekiel 37:11a.
Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel.
Jeremiah speaks to the fact that God “knew” us while he was still in the womb. God carefully formed each of us before we were born.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5
There are many verses that speak of how God knew us prior to our birth. Here are just some of them at this link. It is a sad shame that taxes paid by Christians are used for immoral purposes. Certainly, God will not hold us responsible if we are opposed to it and we have little control over how the government uses our tax dollars. As long as evil exists, people will find ways to use tax dollars for malevolent purposes.
In spite of what some people like to believe, the reality is that abortion is murder. Life cannot be measured by viability. Even the article I referred to states “There is nothing in the bible to indicate that a fetus is considered to be anything other than living tissue and, according to scripture, it does not become a living being until after it has taken a breath.” This is patently false, but please notice that even the author of the article refers to the fetus as “living tissue,” so it is alive, isn’t it. The assertion that the Bible does not teach that a fetus does not become a living thing until after it takes its breath is also completely incorrect.
The same article also incorrectly states that the commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill” was not a command from God, but one stated by Moses. The author references Exodus 34 in an attempt to prove this, but in that chapter, the commandments are not necessarily reiterated. However, in Exodus 20 (avoided by the author of the article), the commandments are clearly delineated including “thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). In Exodus 34, God states, “and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables,” implying that whatever was written on the first set of tablets (that Moses broke out of anger over the Israelites’ idolatry), was also written on the replacement tablets (Exodus 34:1).
In Exodus 20:1, we read these words from God: “And God spake all these words…” It was God, not Moses who stated the words that Moses wrote down. In fact, God is still speaking in Exodus 21 as well. He had a lot to say and Moses wrote down everything (while God wrote His commands directly on the stone tablets).
It is disingenuous for people who call themselves Christians today to not know God’s Word, to have no desire to obey Him, to live in a way that really winds up offering friendship with the world and its system, a system which is diametrically opposed to God and His truth. Many do so out of ignorance, while some do so out of a deliberate desire to live in step with the world. It is destined to get even worse as the time approaches the coming of the Tribulation followed seven years later by the physical return of our Lord and Savior to this earth as Ruler, King, and Sovereign.
I hope with me, you look forward to that.
Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective
Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2017/03/14/do-usa-taxpayers-pay-for-abortions/
