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Senate Passes Rep. Messer's Effort to Overturn Obama Rule Forcing States to Fund Abortion Providers

Press Release

Date: March 30, 2017
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Women Reproduction

The U.S. Senate today passed a legislative effort championed by Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06) that would overturn an Obama regulation forcing states to distribute public tax dollars to abortion providers.

Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote in support of the measure in the Senate today.

The Department of Health and Human Services rule, finalized just weeks before the end of former President Obama's term, prevented states from withholding Title X "family planning" grants to facilities that provide abortion, like Planned Parenthood.

Messer co-sponsored H.J. Res 43, which reverses the rule and allows states, like Indiana, to make the judgement call not to direct public tax dollars to the abortion industry. Messer led this effort, authoring H.J. Res 39 -- an identical bill -- in January.

"A majority of Americans agree that tax dollars should not be used to fund abortion, and yet former President Obama continued to find ways to ignore this consensus and impose his will on the people," Messer said. "Thankfully we now have a White House and a Legislature that stands up for the rights of citizens and states, and defends policies that protect life."

Messer was a leader in the effort to repeal this rule, calling on Congress to make this a priority back in December 2016. He garnered broad support for the effort, including nearly 140 members of the U.S. House of Representatives as well as advocacy groups like March for Life, National Right to Life, Susan B. Anthony List, Alliance Defending Freedom, Focus on the Family and Indiana Right to Life.

"No state should be coerced into supporting the abortion industry. We applaud Rep. Messer's efforts to stop the flow of our tax dollars to Planned Parenthood and any organization that profits from the destruction of innocent, human life," said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life.

H.J. Res 43 will now be sent to the President's desk to become law.


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