Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Urges Congressional Leadership Battle Abortion Through Appropriations

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., signed off on a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., calling for cutting funds to abortion providers during the appropriations process. 

Ros-Lehtinen urged the congressional leaders to end funds for the UN Population Fund and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services “unless the penalization stops for states that remove abortion providers from their networks” is remedied in the appropriations process. 

“Protecting innocent human life is one of our most important priorities that we must promote here at home and abroad,” Ros-Lehtinen said on Monday. “I’m proud to join so many of my colleagues to call for the elimination of funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), due to its connection with China’s coercive birth limitation policy. Additionally, Americans should not be forced into a health care plan that violates their moral or religious beliefs and no state should be forced to include such in their networks if it contravenes of the will of that states’ residents.”