WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Susan B. Anthony List’s “Stop Abortion Funding” online petition topped more than 12,500 signatures. The campaign, aimed at ending all federal funding of abortion in the 112th Congress, includes efforts to mobilize its ever-growing 280,000-member grassroots network and a website (www.StopAbortionFunding.com) for pro-life activists to lobby Congress to pass legislation prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion.
“The enthusiastic response to this initiative mirrors what we’ve seen at the ballot box this month and consistently in public polls,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “The majority of Americans do not support abortion and an even larger number strongly oppose paying for it with their tax dollars. With so many pro-life leaders now in Congress, the critical moment has come to pass legislation that protects taxpayers against funding a procedure that offends their consciences.”
The “Stop Abortion Funding” campaign will urge Members of Congress to pass two priority pieces of pro-life legislation – the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, sponsored by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL), which will create a government-wide statutory prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion, repealing abortion funding in Obamacare, and the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), which will ensure that tax dollars are not sent to abortion providers under Title X family planning funds.
SBA List’s recent efforts to lobby for the inclusion of pro-life legislative priorities in the GOP’s “Pledge to America” saw similar success with inclusion of pro-life language in the final document after more than 10,000 Americans signed the Life Speaking Out online petition.
“The grassroots success of these projects is just further proof that Americans not only strongly oppose having their tax dollars pay for abortion, but want lawmakers to make a priority of passing legislation that prohibits it in the 112th Congress,” Dannenfelser said.
The Susan B. Anthony List spent $11 million during the 2010 midterm elections, including: $3.4 million on its “Votes Have Consequences” project targeting self-described “pro-life” Democrats who voted for abortion funding in the health care bill; $2.3 million on its efforts to elect pro-life women to congressional and statewide office; and $1.4 million on defeating pro-abortion incumbents and protecting pro-life leaders. SBA List members across the country bundled more than $600,000 in direct contributions to candidates. Overall, the SBA List was involved in 90 races including 61 wins, 25 losses, and 4 yet to be called. Successes included: defeating 15 of 20 “Votes Have Consequences” targets; increasing the number of pro-life women in the House by 60 percent; filling the void of pro-life women in the U.S. Senate and increasing the number of pro-life women governors from one to four. In SBA List-versus-EMILY’s List head-to-head races, SBA List candidates won 83 percent of the time.
For further information, please contact Kerry Brown at (703) 470-1926 or [email protected].
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