Democrats start first day of Congress with promoting abortion

It’s the first day of the new, divided Congress with a Republican Senate and a Democratic House. And the Democrats have inserted language into a bill to end the partial government shutdown that would repeal President Trump’s pro-life Mexico City policy that prevents U.S. foreign aid going to organizations that support abortion. Such legislation will likely face steep opposition in the Senate. 

The spending bill would repeal a provision instituted by President Trump that requires foreign nongovernmental organizations to certify that they will not “perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.” The provision, formally known as the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy, was once called the Mexico City Policy, known by critics as the “global gag rule.”

The bill also would increase funding by $5 million for the United Nations Population Fund, to $37.5 million. Anti-abortion organizations oppose the program because they say it participates in coercive abortions and involuntary sterilizations.