Friday, February 03, 2017

Billy Long: Most Americans agree that abortion is wrong

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

On January 27, 2017, thousands of men and women came to Washington, D.C. to support the March for Life. This event is held each year to raise awareness and advocate for the unborn lives taken by abortion. The first rally was held on January 22, 1974, one year after the Roe v. Wadedecision. Since then, the March for Life has taken place each year, and will continue to take place, until Roe v. Wade is overturned.

That same week, the House of Representatives took an important step in our pro-life agenda by voting to make the Hyde Amendment permanent. The Hyde Amendment helps prevent taxpayer money from being used for abortions, except to save the life of the mother, or in the case of rape or incest.

The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act passed the House by a vote of 238-183. This legislation would not only make the Hyde Amendment permanent, along with any other legislation that prohibits funding of abortions government-wide. This bill would also ensure that the Affordable Care Act is held to the same standard.

I've always made it a priority to support legislation that saves lives and that’s why I voted in favor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. In 1973 when the Supreme Court said it was legal to kill an unborn child I didn't agree then and I still don't.

The American people have spoken, and as a Congressman, I listened. According to the Marist Institute for Public Opinion Polling, 62 percent of the American people agree, the government should not use taxpayer money to fund abortions. Through some current governmental funding policies, the government is only incentivizing abortion.

Forty-five percent of individuals who identify as pro-choice even agree that taxpayer money should not be funding abortions. Most consider abortion a partisan issue, but when it comes to taxpayer funding, both Republicans and Democrats are much more likely to agree. According to the same poll, 44 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of Republicans don’t agree with taxpayer funded abortions.

It’s time to stop playing partisan politics and realize that a majority of Americans agree on this issue. It’s never okay to be political when human lives are at stake. I will continue to work and support pro-life legislation. Someone needs to fight for those that can't fight for themselves.

4 comments:

karen said...

You are wrong. Here are some figures from 1/2017 from the Pew Report.

About six-in-ten U.S. adults (59%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with 37% who say it should be illegal all or most of the time. Public support for legal abortion is now as high as it’s been in two decades of polling.

2
There is a substantial partisan and ideological divide on abortion, with Democrats much more likely than Republicans to say it should be legal in all or most cases. This gap is even larger between liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans: Nearly nine-in-ten liberal Democrats (88%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with only about three-in-ten self-described conservatives in the GOP (27%).

Crazy things, facts. No one is trying to overturn the Hyde amendment. Taxpayer money is already prohibited from being used to provide abortions. What is this obsession with women and their reproductive choices? Women are smart, capable and can make these private decisions for themselves. If people are so concerned with life, why not more outrage and outcry about the care of children already here? Why no outrage about refugee children dying in war? Women don't need more political interference with our lives. Put your outrage and your efforts towards taking care of lives already here.

Anonymous said...

So I see you looked at the first "fact" you found when you searched Google. Funny thing thise "facts" seem to change when you look further into other studies. Then when you actually read the studies you see a deeper issue....a vast majority do feel that abortion is morally wrong and emotionally harmful to women; even one third of prochoicers feel this way even they "support" party lines.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, 5:27 pm you are in error. Majority of Americans do not want to outlaw abortion. Period. Maybe we should be looking at why Billy continues to support "Personhood Bills" that if enacted would have the ability to outlaw most forms of contraception. Also, let's start asking why Billy never has a town hall meeting. When asked his offices says he doesn't do Town Hall meetings....why? Why also, won't his District Director meet with various groups in the evening to discuss important issues. What is Billy afraid of?

Anonymous said...

The Republicans now live in an "Alternative Universe" where they can make up their own "facts" and disagree with reality. The rules no longer apply to them. They now own "Do as I say, not as I do." Billy Boss Hog Long will not have any meetings until his owners tell him what the latest rhetoric is. Then he will spew it back, word for word, then head to the trough. Or Vegas where he can hit a massive buffet on our dime.