Todays update:
A Time to Spend ANDA Time to Cut
July 18, 2012 - Wednesday
It may be the last appropriations bill released this year, but it's by no means the least! Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) made sure of that. As Chairman of the House subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Rep. Rehberg gave Planned Parenthood and NARAL plenty to complain about when he unveiled his Committee's spending plan for the next fiscal year. Apart from shaving off billions from the Labor, HHS, and Education Department budgets, the measure also takes direct aim at ObamaCare, its mandates, and abortion. Even the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, home to the Left's pet media outlets NPR and PBS, would lose the crutch of millions of taxpayer dollars.
To the delight of most taxpayers, Planned Parenthood would be the bill's biggest casualty. With the blessing of Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), conservatives took an axe to the organization's federal gravy train--zeroing out every last penny to America's largest abortion business. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) tried to reinstate the funds in today's mark-up, but failed 9-5. In fact, under the leadership of Rep. Rehberg, the Committee went the other direction adding a bundle of other pro-life policies. The Chairman also took the opportunity to attach the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA) to the broader bill, which would help end discrimination against pro-lifers in the health care industry. If it survives, ANDA would give medical workers legal recourse if they're sidelined for their pro-life views.
And speaking of conscience rights, employers might have a fighting chance at protecting theirs after today's debate. Despite enormous pressure to pull the language, Rep. Rehberg stuck to his guns and included a section that exempts employers who have moral objections to contraception or abortion pills from covering them. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) did her best to strike the policy, but Republicans doubled up the opposition and voted her amendment down 9-5. And they didn't stop there! The good news spilled over into two other provisions: one blocking the funds for ObamaCare's implementation and another restoring $20 million for abstinence education grants, which had been all but destroyed when President Obama took office.
Of course, the media is counting out the bill before it even reaches the floor. Help prove them wrong! Contact Republican leaders Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and encourage them to schedule the legislation--and its pro-life, pro-freedom gains--for a vote.
Boy Scouts' Courage Merits Support
Despite relentless pressure to make its message more politically correct, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has never wavered from instilling character into generations of America's sons. And according to national spokesman Deron Smith, that won't change any time soon. After an extensive two-year review, which involved everyone from executives to adult volunteers, the organization reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the Scouts "morally straight" yesterday by upholding its ban on homosexuality. "The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers, and at the appropriate time and in the right setting," Smith said. "[We] came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts."
For years, the Scouts have taken a public beating from the Left--all because they stayed focused on what benefits the boys they serve rather than turning the organization on its head to meet the needs of a handful of homosexuals who want to be scout masters. The BSA tried to create membership criteria in the best interest of kids' safety and parents' rights.
In 2010, when the group made dozens of cases of child sexual abuse from the 1960s-1980s public, it was obvious that the organization wasn't arbitrarily opposed to homosexual scout leaders when it banned them from serving in the late 1990s (a decision that the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in 2000). Far from being intolerant, the Scouts took the necessary steps to cut down on the episodes of men sexually abusing boys that had been plaguing the BSA since the middle of the last century. Allowing the Scouts to appoint leaders who represent their values protects other organizations' rights of association and preserves the peace of mind of parents who want to make sure their children are mentored in healthy ways.
Most people don't realize that nearly 70 percent of all Scout troops were chartered and are supported by faith-based organizations. If homosexuals were allowed to serve in the BSA, thousands of churches would be forced to disenfranchise their troops, effectively killing the organization. So today, while so many continue to pile on the Scouts, FRC salutes them. Whether it's learning how to sharpen a knife, cook a meal, or help a neighbor, the BSA has invested billions of hours into creating generations of responsible citizens. But more importantly, the Scouts are teaching boys something our culture doesn't: how to become men worthy of respect.
** For more on the Boy Scouts, don't miss my interview on today's "Mike Huckabee Show." Click here for the audio.