The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) and Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) are opposed to the State Department authorization bill (H.R. 2410), which is scheduled to come to the floor of the House of Representatives during the week of June 8. NRLC and MCCL urge you to contact your Member of Congress to vote against H.R. 2410 if it does not include the Smith Amendment.
H.R. 2410 (Section 334) would establish an Office for Global Women’s Issues, headed by an official with the rank of ambassador-at-large, charged with promoting “women’s empowerment internationally.” Questioned by Foreign Affairs Committee members on April 22, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared, “We are now an administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive health care,” and that “reproductive health includes access to abortion.” As Secretary Clinton put it during her exchange with Congressman Chris Smith, “You are entitled to advocate ... anywhere in the world, and so are we.”
At the May 20 markup, the Foreign Affairs Committee rejected, on a party-line vote, an amendment offered by Mr. Smith to prevent the proposed new office from engaging in efforts to alter the laws of foreign nations governing abortion. Mr. Smith intends to submit a similar amendment to the Rules Committee, and NRLC and MCCL support this amendment. If the Smith Amendment is made in order and adopted by the House, NRLC and MCCL will withdraw opposition to H.R. 2410 and will be neutral on the question of final passage.
But if the Smith Amendment is not adopted, we must oppose passage of H.R. 2410, because the bill will further empower the Obama Administration to pursue its agenda of undermining the pro-life laws of sovereign nations. To the extent that the Administration succeeds in such efforts, it will greatly increase the number of abortions all around the world.
Contact your Member of Congress about this dangerous legislation.
