Action Item of the Week – Action needed in August on 2020 US budget bills (from American Life League, 7/26/19)

(This is from the American Life League's Pro-Life This Week – July 26, 2019. 
Highlighting has been added.) 

Action Item of the Week – Action needed in August on 2020 US budget bills

This is the time of year when the United States Senate and the House of Representatives work on the budget for the coming year. The federal government has a fiscal year that runs from October 1 through September 30. Thus, the budget for fiscal year 2020 is supposed to be in place by September 30, 2019; that’s just about 65 days from now. The budget bills are first passed in the House and then sent to the Senate. Once the Senate and House have approved the same bills, they are sent to the president for approval.

The 2020 budget bills have passed the Democratic-controlled House. They contain nine provisions that are anti-life. Those provisions are:

FY2020 Financial Services, General Government Appropriations Text (HR 3351) 

• DORNAN (DC HYDE) AMENDMENT: Limits the Dornan Amendment abortion funding prohibition to “federal” funds, allowing DC to use locally-generated funds to pay for abortions on demand. (Title VIII – General Provisions – District of Columbia, Section 802)

FY2020 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Text (HR 2740)

• TITLE X:The Trump Administration’s final Protect Life (Title X) rule is repealed. Title X funding is increased to $400 million ($114 million increase). (Division A, Title II (HHS), HRSA, Family Planning)
• CONSCIENCE PROTECTION RULE: The Trump Administration’s final Conscience Protection Rule is repealed. (Division A, Title II (HHS), General Provisions, Sec. 240)
• FETAL TISSUE:Prohibition against the convening of an ethics advisory board to review applications for extramural fetal tissue research (outside researchers funded by HHS dollars.) This prohibition seeks to prevent HHS from withholding funds for extramural fetal tissue research. (Division A, Title V-General Provisions, Sec 533)
• TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION (TPP) FUNDING:TPP is funded at $110 million ($9 million increase) while requiring continued funding for Obama-era grantees like Planned Parenthood. Sexual Risk Avoidance education funding is eliminated ($35 million decrease)(Division A, Title II (HHS), Departmental Management, General Departmental Management)

FY2020 State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Text (HR 2740):

• PROTECTING LIFE IN GLOBAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE (PLGHA):President Trump’s PLGHA policy is repealed, and future Administrations are prohibited from establishing a similar policy.(Division D, Title VII—General Provisions, Global Health Activities, Sec. 7058(a); Division D, Title VII – General Provisions, Assistance for Foreign Nongovernmental Organizations, Sec. 7064)
• UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA): The bill appropriates $55.5 million ($23 million increase) for UNFPA. (Division D, Title VII – General Provisions – United Nations Population Fund, Sec. 7057)
• INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING: The bill appropriates not less than $750 million for [so-called] family planning/reproductive health programs ($175 million increase from FY19 levels). (Division D, Title VII – General Provisions – Global Health Activities, Sec. 7058)
• PROGRAMMATIC CONTRACEPTIVE EXPANSIONS:Longstanding HIV/AIDs Provisions are altered to allow additional funds for contraceptives. (Division D, Title VII – General Provisions, Global Health Activities, Sec. 7058)

All those who care about preborn babies, as well as our born children, are asked to get in touch with your United States senators and ask them to correct the nine problems cited above. Many senators will be back in their states during August and will be available for meetings. 

Make sure your senator knows you care and that you want the new budget bills to protect our children at all stages of life.