Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, on March 29, 2019, thanked the Trump Administration following its announcement of the expansion of the Mexico City Policy and its enforcement of the Siljander Amendment.
“As Chairman of the United States Bishops’ Pro-Life Committee, I applaud this Administration for working hard to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used to perform or promote abortion internationally. Taxpayer dollars should never fund abortion—and especially not in developing countries where many women need genuine, life-sustaining support for themselves and for their children. International organizations should be providing real assistance, real healthcare, and real opportunities for women, instead of offering to end the lives of their unborn children.”
The Mexico City Policy, now called Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance, requires foreign non-governmental organizations receiving U.S. aid to certify that they will not perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in developing nations. The expansion ensures that taxpayer dollars aren’t going to organizations that perform or promote abortions themselves or that fund other organizations that perform or promote abortions. The Siljander Amendment prohibits federal dollars from funding groups that lobby for or against abortion.
