Faith Leaders To Obama: Give Women Raped By ISIS Access To Safe Abortions
Faith leaders are calling on President Barack Obama to issue an executive order allowing the United States to fund access to safe abortions for women and girls raped in foreign conflict zones, especially those forcibly impregnated by terrorist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram.
On Thursday, a collection of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other faith leaders gathered with secular reproductive justice advocates in Washington, D.C. for a “Faith Leaders’ Summit.” The summit was convened to discuss the Helms Amendment, an addition to the Foreign Assistance Act enacted in 1973 that states, “No foreign assistance funds may be used to pay for the performance of abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.” Historically, this has been interpreted to mean that the U.S. government should avoid apportioning any public money for abortions when funding aid in other countries.
But in a press conference at St. John’s Church near the White House yesterday afternoon, religious leaders argued that women who have survived rape in war-torn areas and want to terminate their pregnancies do not fall under the category of “family planning.” As such, they argued, President Obama should take executive action to allow federally funded relief programs to offer abortion services.
“In cases of rape or incest, or when the life of a woman is at risk, abortion is clearly not family planning,” Rev. Harry Knox, head of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, said. “Despite that clear distinction, administration after administration has incorrectly interpreted Helms to be a complete ban on abortion. We’re here to say that not only is this interpretation wrong, it is morally bankrupt.”
“Our faiths demand that we use our voices to insist that President Obama take executive action now,” he added.
more
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/06/05/3666706/faith-leaders-obama-give-women-raped-isis-access-safe-abortions/
= new reply since forum marked as read
and who can not?
But in a press conference at St. John’s Church near the White House yesterday afternoon, religious leaders argued that women who have survived rape in war-torn areas and want to terminate their pregnancies do not fall under the category of “family planning.”
__________
“In cases of rape or incest, or when the life of a woman is at risk, abortion is clearly not family planning,” Rev. Harry Knox, head of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, said.
Are they saying that my body would know the difference between rape in a war torn country or just in plane old America? wtf!
They *want* to? !
Cognitive dissonance is right...and seems to include cognitive impairment.
