In politics, as elsewhere, the question of progress depends upon how you identify your baseline. As abortion rights providers and groups have demonstrated time after time, their baseline is this: We are the summit (and the foundation) of women’s rights. We are entitled to hundreds of millions of federal dollars for our domestic or overseas “family planning” work. No matter that we are representing to clients, or to foreign governments, that federal grantees regard abortion as a normal part of family planning. Sometimes we even advocate for abortion in countries where it’s illegal.
Any retreat on this entitlement, such as President Trump’s new executive order reversing the “Mexico City policy,” is therefore regressive in the eyes of abortion groups and providers. Remember that this policy does not even reduce United States government funding for family planning services overseas. It simply says that Planned Parenthood and other abortion giants can’t have hundreds of millions of our tax dollars if they offer abortion services or counseling in other countries even if they use their own money to do it.
Ironically, Planned Parenthood and others call it a “gag rule.” Again, that baseline thing! They are arguing that by not funding them we are punishing them for free speech. (Remember, their baseline is: they are always and forever entitled to our money.) But in fact they are still free to shout to the rooftops their support for unlimited, unregulated abortion. They just can’t do it with our tax dollars.
Planned Parenthood is nearly impossible to humble or reason with. They have been exposed fair and square as willing to cooperate with sex traffickers, or alter abortion techniques to maximize the sale of baby body parts. It may be impossible forever and ever to get them to agree that the sky is blue, or that babies are human. But one thing is for sure: As of today, we don’t have to pay them to be outrageous with our overseas aid money.
Very soon, we likely won’t have to pay them with our tax dollars for anything at all, here or abroad.
Helen Alvaré is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a professor of law at the Scalia Law School at George Mason University and the founder of WomenSpeakForThemselves.com. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
