Accelerating the Increase in the Refundability of the Child Tax Credit - Motion to Proceed

ACCELERATING THE INCREASE IN THE REFUNDABILITY OF THE CHILD TAX CREDIT—MOTION TO PROCEED

Mr. REID. Mr. President, just a few years ago I traveled to Nepal, a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, certainly in Asia. More than 500 out of every 100,000 women in Nepal die from pregnancy-related complications compared to 7 out of every 100,000 women in the United States. Again, 500 women in Nepal die from pregnancy-related complications compared to 7 in the United States.

Nepal is not the only place where women are at such high risk. Every minute of every day at least one woman somewhere in the world dies from causes related to pregnancy in childbirth. Every minute of every day a woman dies from causes related to pregnancy. That is 600,000 women every year who die from causes related to pregnancy. I repeat for the third time, 600,000 women every year.

Our country offers hope to women around the world. Our support for international family planning programs spells the difference between life or death for women in developing countries. And family planning efforts prevent unintended pregnancies, save the lives of thousands of women and infants every year. Family planning also helps prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Last summer, I traveled to South Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, and Botswana. The subject of AIDS and the terrible damage it has done to the African people became the focus of this trip. We did not want it to be the focus of the trip, but it became the focus of the trip. It overwhelmed everything that we talked about and saw. Africa has been overwhelmed by the AIDS epidemic. More than 20 million Africans have died from AIDS and more than 5,000 continue to die each day from this disease. It is 7 days a week. It does not matter if it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, or whatever holidays they might have.
There are no vacations, no holidays. Seven days a week, every week of the year, more than 5,000 Africans die, and that number is going up, not down. They die from this disease we call AIDS.

In seven southern African countries, 20 percent or more of the adult population is infected with the HIV virus. In Botswana—and I would mention about Botswana, it is a democracy. It is a country that is based on the rule of law. It is really a fine country with great leaders. We stayed for a few days in Botswana. The infection rate is about 40 percent; that is, 4 out of every 10 people who live in Botswana are infected with the HIV virus. In other African countries, the HIV infection rates are higher among women than men.

As a result, family planning providers are the best source of HIV prevention information and services. But now, the Mexico City policy threatens our efforts to save the lives of women in Nepal, on the continent of Africa, and all over the world.
President Bush reimposed the gag rule because he wants to decrease the number of abortions abroad. That is a worthy goal, but restricting funds to organizations that provide a wide range of safe and effective family planning services can lead only to more, not fewer, abortions.

Cutting funding for family planning diminishes access to the most effective means of reducing abortion. Research shows the only way to reduce the number of abortions is to improve family planning efforts that will decrease the number of unintended pregnancies. Access to contraception reduces the probability of having an abortion by more than 85 percent.

Of course, I do not support the use of a single taxpayer dollar to perform or promote abortions overseas, but that is what the law says. The law has explicitly prohibited such activities for 20 years, from 1973. Instead, I support family planning efforts that reduce both unintended pregnancies and abortions.

The Mexico City policy not only undercuts our country's commitment to women's health, it restricts foreign organizations in a way that would be unconstitutional in the United States. This policy violates a fundamental tenet of our democracy:
freedom of speech. That is why my friend from California, the chief sponsor of this amendment, Senator Boxer, calls this a global gag amendment because that is exactly what it is. This policy violates a fundamental tenet of our democracy: freedom of speech.

Exporting a policy that is unconstitutional in the United States is the ultimate act of hypocrisy. Surely, this is not the message we want to send to struggling democracies that look to the United States for inspiration and guidance. My friend, the distinguished Senator from Nevada—from California, Senator Boxer—I wish she were from Nevada. She does a great job for Nevada, along with California and the rest of the country. Senator Boxer's amendment would ensure that U.S. foreign policy is consistent with American values, including free speech and medical ethics.

I support this legislation. I support this amendment and urge my colleagues to support this effort to protect and defend women around the globe.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.