A Planned Parenthood facility in St. Paul, Minnesota. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Cities across the U.S. are allocating American Rescue Plan funds to Planned Parenthood and various other so-called abortion services. Pro-life leaders decried the move as far back as early 2021, when lawmakers proposed the bill.

Organizations such as the Family Research Council warned that ARPA money would underwrite elective abortions if its language did not clearly outline the limits of healthcare funding.

Pro-life advocates say the outcome was anything but a surprise. “As the American Rescue Plan Act was being assembled Family Research Council and many other groups warned that” the ARPA funding would underwrite elective abortions “unless the bill clearly defines what healthcare funding can and cannot be used for, or has explicate language to prevent it from subsidizing abortion.” 

President Biden signed the bill into law in March 2021. Since then, cities nationwide have been directing funds to a number of abortion organizations.

As recently as this month, Toledo’s City council proposed ordinance 530-21, which would set aside $100,000 of ARPA funds to pay for Ohio residents who want to obtain abortions outside the state. The city of Rochester, NY included Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York in its list members of the “Rochester Peace Collective,” a collaboration that plans to split $5 million of ARPA funds. St. Louis, MO. mayor, Tishaura Jones set aside $1 million of covid-19 relief dollars to pay for abortion travel.

Other cities that have set aside state and municipal funds for abortion include Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, OH., Fresno, CA., Nashville, and Seattle.

Pro-life organizations, religious institutions, and pro-life politicians are fighting back.

“Using funds allocated for COVID recovery to enable the taking of innocent lives and the harming of mothers and their children is both unjust and immoral,” said Roman Catholic Bishop Daniel E. Thomas. “It is our responsibility as faithful servants of God to spearhead legislation to make it easier for mothers and fathers to flourish economically so they can provide a loving and thriving home for their families.”

In Rochester, pro-family advocates are opposing a $225,000 grant for a Planned Parenthood sex education program that exposes minors to the pro-abortion organization’s website. Missouri’s Attorney General, Eric Schmidt filed a lawsuit against Mayor Jones’ move to fund abortion travel.

The need to monitor and counteract the use of taxpayer money for abortion continues in the wake of the Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade.

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