Adios, Mexico City Policy?

While the House was busy introducing a bill to ban abortion funding, one Senate committee was passing a bill to permanently expand it. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a big proponent of the State Department's team of family planning" globe trotters, slipped an amendment into the foreign appropriations bill that would make overseas abortion funding a steady fixture of U.S. spending. Under his language, the Mexico City Policy -- which blocks our government from giving financial aid to any overseas group that promotes abortion -- would be completely abolished. (Back in January, President Obama signed an executive order allowing this funding to flow temporarily.)

Of course, this isn't the first time New Jersey 's Senator has tried this stunt. Last year, he snuck in a similar amendment, only to watch it die on the Senate floor. This time, Sen. Lautenberg's proposal was voted out of the Appropriations Committee (18-12) along with the rest of the bill.

Unfortunately for pro-lifers, there is plenty more to be concerned about in the overall legislation. Not only does it make abortion a permanent U.S. export, but it also funnels millions more taxpayer dollars to groups like the U.N. Population Fund, which has a history of endorsing barbaric laws like China's one-child policy. On top of the $55 million to UNFPA, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) -- the same agency that's illegally lobbying to legalize abortion in Kenya's new constitution -- would get a $24 million raise. (To help finance other vote-buying schemes, perhaps?) Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.) seemed frustrated along with the other Republicans. "It's us funding abortions overseas," he said. "There are a lot of people in the country that find this deeply offensive." It's just too bad that none of those people seem to work for this administration.