Ares
19th July 2010, 05:36 PM
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new report issued by the Inspector General
(IG) for the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) reveals
the Obama administration has spent over $23 million for
activities
in Kenya to influence voters there to support a new
constitution that
would allow virtually unlimited abortions.
The nation currently protects women and unborn children from abortions,
but a constitution voters will consider on August 4 would
change the
historic pro-life laws of the African nation.
Rep. Chris Smith, a key pro-life congressman who is the Ranking Member
of the Africa and Global Health Subcommittee, has been
working with
other lawmakers and the IG’s office to investigate grants
the
Obama administration has provided to Kenyan groups promoting
the Yes
vote campaign for the new constitution.
In a new report Smith released to LifeNews.com on Friday, he says U.S.
taxpayers are now footing the bill for those pro-abortion
efforts
to the tune of $23 million, far above previous estimates.
Previous estimates had indicated that $2 million was being spent, then that
was updated to $11 million and now the figure identified by
the IG’s
office exceeds $23 million, he said.
“The Obama Administration should not be spending $23 million in American
tax dollars on the specific “Yes†campaign, pushing a
determined
outcome on the proposed constitution in Kenya,†Smith said.
“The U.S. government can be supportive of the process, helping to secure
a free and fair referendum. But we must respect the Kenyan
people
and let them decide for themselves. U.S. dollars should not
be used
to tell the Kenyan people how to vote," he added.
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya on Friday admitted that it has provided about
$11 million in support of the constitution process and an
internal
investigation found nine of more than 200 subgrantees
supported the
pro-abortion constitution. Embassy officials claimed those
grants
have either been suspended or concluded, essentially
admitting the
Obama administration has been funding such groups.
As LifeNews.com reported on Monday, the United States
embassy in Kenya
issued a
statement
saying the administration of President Barack Obama is not
spending
taxpayer dollars funding a campaign to support a
pro-abortion Constitution
Kenya voters will consider at the polls next month.
After publishing a news story compiling the developments
over the
last two months that LifeNews.com has chronicled, Fox News received
a response from pro-abortion Vice Presdient Joe Biden's
office
denying funding.
"Requests for comment sent to the vice president’s office
were not initially returned, but following the original
publication
of this story, Biden's press secretary, in an e-mail,
stressed that
while in Kenya the vice president reiterated that it is up
the people
to decide about their country's constitution," the
television
news station indicated.
Smith says the information the IG's office has revealed reinforces concern
that the Obama administration is financially supporting
groups and
activities that are advocating for abortion in the context
of the
draft constitution.
Smith said the IG’s list shows that “U.S. tax dollar monies are flying out the door to pro-abortion groups committed to
overturning
pro-life laws in Kenya.†He documented
some groups getting funds and outlined new ones on
Friday.
He pointed to the Kenyan Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya), which,
as a member of the Kenyan Reproductive Health and Rights
Alliance
(RHRA), is committed to increasing the availability of
abortion and
the decriminalization of abortion in the country.
FIDA-Kenya helped to draft controversial legislation and launched a campaign
in 2008 to liberalize Kenya’s abortion law. Under the U.S.
law,
such actions should make FIDA-Kenya and similar
organizations ineligible
for civic education assistance related to the draft
constitution.
The group is supported by the Planned Parenthood Federation
of America
and received $85,363 from USAID for advocacy activities
related to
the draft constitution.
Smith also says the Obama administration has recently financially supported
Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review in Kenya,
which drafted
the abortion-related provisions in the proposed
constitution. It received
$180,000.
The Committee rejected the life of the mother only exception to abortion
inserted into the draft constitution by a Parliamentary
committee,
and added a “health†exception to abortion. It is commonly
known that health exceptions to abortion often lead to
abortion on
demand owing to the broad definition of health that includes
socio-economic
reasons as exemplified in the US Supreme Court decision on
abortion
in 1973.
The African Woman and Child Features Service, a media non-governmental
organization backing abortion and the constitution, received
nearly
$157,000 for constitution-related activities, including
“advocacy
and lobbying meetings with reform bodies at national level.â€
Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), which is receiving almost $3 million as
a primary grant recipient, advised USAID in 2000 that
USAID/Kenya
would benefit by supporting civil society organizations that
are advocating
for “efforts to eventually legalize abortion in Kenya.â€
While acknowledging that such activity would be “politically sensitive,â€
DAI suggested that USAID might support local advocacy groups
in their
efforts as part of USAID’s democracy and governance
strategic
objectives component that supports civic society
organizations.
Smith stressed that the United States can and should be supportive of “a
fair, free and non-violent†process and civic education, but
not work for a specific outcome.
“We should be embracing the health and welfare of both mothers and children
in African while respecting sovereign pro-life laws.
Instead, the
Obama Administration is trying to change Kenya’s existing
restriction
on abortion through the referendum," Smith added. "Such
actions constitute a violation of U.S. law and is an affront
to both
the pro-life people of Kenya and the US, an overwhelming
majority
of whom do not support abortion, and in the case of the
US—do
not want their tax dollars to pay for abortion activities."
In a May letter to the IGs at the State Department and USAID, Smith,
and Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18), the Ranking Member on
the House
Foreign Affairs Committee and Darrell Issa (CA-49), the
Ranking Member
on the House Oversight Committee, called for investigations
into potentially
illegal funding to promote the proposed pro-abortion Kenyan
constitution.
Such promotion would violate a statutory restriction known as the Siljander
Amendment that no USAID and State Department funds “may be
used
to lobby for or against abortion.â€
The amendment reads, “None of the funds made available under
this Act may be used to lobby for or against abortion,†and
violations
are subject to civil and criminal penalties under the
Antideficiency
Act, 31 U.S.C. § 1341."
Obama himself has promoted the new constitution in an interview in early
June with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
He called voting for the document a "singular opportunity to put
the government of Kenya on solid footing" and urged Kenyans
to"take
advantage of the moment."
Obama tried to couch his language in neutral impartiality, saying "Regardless
of whether they vote Yes or No I just want to make sure that
they
participate,' but he extolled the virtues of the document to
the KBC
saying it will promote human rights.
And in May, US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger called on the African nation's political leaders to
rally the
people to pass the referendum.
Ranneberger issued a statement praising the Kenya parliament for passing the proposed
constitution and urging President Mwai Kibaki and Prime
Minister Raila
Odinga to rally support for it.
He also suggested the Obama administration would fund a national campaign
to persuade the people to adopt the document.
Although the draft contains language advocating the right to life for unborn
children, it contains a section with a health exception that
essentially
opens the nation to unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy
for any
reason.
Joseph Meaney of Human Life International weighed in on the constitution
saying it violates the views of most Kenyans who are
pro-life.
"Kenyans are pro-life," he said. "When we see the new
articles added to the constitution and approved by
parliament under
heavy pressure from Western elites, we are seeing an assault
on the
very heart of the Kenyan people."
"Perhaps the greatest insult is that this attack is happening under the banner
of 'improving women's health'. The only ones who believe
that killing
an unborn child is good for a woman's health are those who
will profit
from the slaughter, Western powers who are pouring untold
millions
of dollars into measures to keep Africa's children from
being born,"
he told LifeNews.com.
"This is nothing but population control, an imperialist assault intended
to rob Africa of its future by eliminating her children. It
is a disgrace,"
he said.
A poll conducted March 21–26 by the polling firm Synovate, formerly
known as Steadman, shows the citizens of Kenya are
overwhelmingly
pro-life.
“Thinking about abortion, which of the following is closest to your view?â€
the firm asked respondents.
Some 69 percent of Kenya residents are against legalizing abortions while
just 9 percent support it. Another 16 percent say it doesn't
matter
while 6 percent said they had no opinion.
Answering the question, “When do you believe human life begins?†77 percent of Kenyans stated that life begins at conception,
while 19
percent stated that human life begins at the time of birth.
Respondents were also asked about their views concerning the new Kenyan Constitution
and the question found only 19 percent support it as
currently written,
while a majority, 52 percent, want Parliament to revise the
document
before passage.
Scott Fischbach, the director of MMCL Go, an international pro-life outreach,
provided the polling results to LifeNews.com.
"Currently, advocates of abortion are using the issue of maternal mortality and
illegal abortions to argue for legalization of the
procedure. However,
the answer to illegal abortions and high maternal mortality
rates
is very simple: provide hope, opportunity and support for
pregnant
women by insuring a clean water supply, clean blood supply
and adequate
health care," he said.
"Kenya is a pro-life country and ought not to head toward an abortion-on-demand
policy in its new Constitution," he added.
http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/obama-adminstration-spends
(IG) for the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) reveals
the Obama administration has spent over $23 million for
activities
in Kenya to influence voters there to support a new
constitution that
would allow virtually unlimited abortions.
The nation currently protects women and unborn children from abortions,
but a constitution voters will consider on August 4 would
change the
historic pro-life laws of the African nation.
Rep. Chris Smith, a key pro-life congressman who is the Ranking Member
of the Africa and Global Health Subcommittee, has been
working with
other lawmakers and the IG’s office to investigate grants
the
Obama administration has provided to Kenyan groups promoting
the Yes
vote campaign for the new constitution.
In a new report Smith released to LifeNews.com on Friday, he says U.S.
taxpayers are now footing the bill for those pro-abortion
efforts
to the tune of $23 million, far above previous estimates.
Previous estimates had indicated that $2 million was being spent, then that
was updated to $11 million and now the figure identified by
the IG’s
office exceeds $23 million, he said.
“The Obama Administration should not be spending $23 million in American
tax dollars on the specific “Yes†campaign, pushing a
determined
outcome on the proposed constitution in Kenya,†Smith said.
“The U.S. government can be supportive of the process, helping to secure
a free and fair referendum. But we must respect the Kenyan
people
and let them decide for themselves. U.S. dollars should not
be used
to tell the Kenyan people how to vote," he added.
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya on Friday admitted that it has provided about
$11 million in support of the constitution process and an
internal
investigation found nine of more than 200 subgrantees
supported the
pro-abortion constitution. Embassy officials claimed those
grants
have either been suspended or concluded, essentially
admitting the
Obama administration has been funding such groups.
As LifeNews.com reported on Monday, the United States
embassy in Kenya
issued a
statement
saying the administration of President Barack Obama is not
spending
taxpayer dollars funding a campaign to support a
pro-abortion Constitution
Kenya voters will consider at the polls next month.
After publishing a news story compiling the developments
over the
last two months that LifeNews.com has chronicled, Fox News received
a response from pro-abortion Vice Presdient Joe Biden's
office
denying funding.
"Requests for comment sent to the vice president’s office
were not initially returned, but following the original
publication
of this story, Biden's press secretary, in an e-mail,
stressed that
while in Kenya the vice president reiterated that it is up
the people
to decide about their country's constitution," the
television
news station indicated.
Smith says the information the IG's office has revealed reinforces concern
that the Obama administration is financially supporting
groups and
activities that are advocating for abortion in the context
of the
draft constitution.
Smith said the IG’s list shows that “U.S. tax dollar monies are flying out the door to pro-abortion groups committed to
overturning
pro-life laws in Kenya.†He documented
some groups getting funds and outlined new ones on
Friday.
He pointed to the Kenyan Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya), which,
as a member of the Kenyan Reproductive Health and Rights
Alliance
(RHRA), is committed to increasing the availability of
abortion and
the decriminalization of abortion in the country.
FIDA-Kenya helped to draft controversial legislation and launched a campaign
in 2008 to liberalize Kenya’s abortion law. Under the U.S.
law,
such actions should make FIDA-Kenya and similar
organizations ineligible
for civic education assistance related to the draft
constitution.
The group is supported by the Planned Parenthood Federation
of America
and received $85,363 from USAID for advocacy activities
related to
the draft constitution.
Smith also says the Obama administration has recently financially supported
Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review in Kenya,
which drafted
the abortion-related provisions in the proposed
constitution. It received
$180,000.
The Committee rejected the life of the mother only exception to abortion
inserted into the draft constitution by a Parliamentary
committee,
and added a “health†exception to abortion. It is commonly
known that health exceptions to abortion often lead to
abortion on
demand owing to the broad definition of health that includes
socio-economic
reasons as exemplified in the US Supreme Court decision on
abortion
in 1973.
The African Woman and Child Features Service, a media non-governmental
organization backing abortion and the constitution, received
nearly
$157,000 for constitution-related activities, including
“advocacy
and lobbying meetings with reform bodies at national level.â€
Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), which is receiving almost $3 million as
a primary grant recipient, advised USAID in 2000 that
USAID/Kenya
would benefit by supporting civil society organizations that
are advocating
for “efforts to eventually legalize abortion in Kenya.â€
While acknowledging that such activity would be “politically sensitive,â€
DAI suggested that USAID might support local advocacy groups
in their
efforts as part of USAID’s democracy and governance
strategic
objectives component that supports civic society
organizations.
Smith stressed that the United States can and should be supportive of “a
fair, free and non-violent†process and civic education, but
not work for a specific outcome.
“We should be embracing the health and welfare of both mothers and children
in African while respecting sovereign pro-life laws.
Instead, the
Obama Administration is trying to change Kenya’s existing
restriction
on abortion through the referendum," Smith added. "Such
actions constitute a violation of U.S. law and is an affront
to both
the pro-life people of Kenya and the US, an overwhelming
majority
of whom do not support abortion, and in the case of the
US—do
not want their tax dollars to pay for abortion activities."
In a May letter to the IGs at the State Department and USAID, Smith,
and Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18), the Ranking Member on
the House
Foreign Affairs Committee and Darrell Issa (CA-49), the
Ranking Member
on the House Oversight Committee, called for investigations
into potentially
illegal funding to promote the proposed pro-abortion Kenyan
constitution.
Such promotion would violate a statutory restriction known as the Siljander
Amendment that no USAID and State Department funds “may be
used
to lobby for or against abortion.â€
The amendment reads, “None of the funds made available under
this Act may be used to lobby for or against abortion,†and
violations
are subject to civil and criminal penalties under the
Antideficiency
Act, 31 U.S.C. § 1341."
Obama himself has promoted the new constitution in an interview in early
June with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
He called voting for the document a "singular opportunity to put
the government of Kenya on solid footing" and urged Kenyans
to"take
advantage of the moment."
Obama tried to couch his language in neutral impartiality, saying "Regardless
of whether they vote Yes or No I just want to make sure that
they
participate,' but he extolled the virtues of the document to
the KBC
saying it will promote human rights.
And in May, US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger called on the African nation's political leaders to
rally the
people to pass the referendum.
Ranneberger issued a statement praising the Kenya parliament for passing the proposed
constitution and urging President Mwai Kibaki and Prime
Minister Raila
Odinga to rally support for it.
He also suggested the Obama administration would fund a national campaign
to persuade the people to adopt the document.
Although the draft contains language advocating the right to life for unborn
children, it contains a section with a health exception that
essentially
opens the nation to unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy
for any
reason.
Joseph Meaney of Human Life International weighed in on the constitution
saying it violates the views of most Kenyans who are
pro-life.
"Kenyans are pro-life," he said. "When we see the new
articles added to the constitution and approved by
parliament under
heavy pressure from Western elites, we are seeing an assault
on the
very heart of the Kenyan people."
"Perhaps the greatest insult is that this attack is happening under the banner
of 'improving women's health'. The only ones who believe
that killing
an unborn child is good for a woman's health are those who
will profit
from the slaughter, Western powers who are pouring untold
millions
of dollars into measures to keep Africa's children from
being born,"
he told LifeNews.com.
"This is nothing but population control, an imperialist assault intended
to rob Africa of its future by eliminating her children. It
is a disgrace,"
he said.
A poll conducted March 21–26 by the polling firm Synovate, formerly
known as Steadman, shows the citizens of Kenya are
overwhelmingly
pro-life.
“Thinking about abortion, which of the following is closest to your view?â€
the firm asked respondents.
Some 69 percent of Kenya residents are against legalizing abortions while
just 9 percent support it. Another 16 percent say it doesn't
matter
while 6 percent said they had no opinion.
Answering the question, “When do you believe human life begins?†77 percent of Kenyans stated that life begins at conception,
while 19
percent stated that human life begins at the time of birth.
Respondents were also asked about their views concerning the new Kenyan Constitution
and the question found only 19 percent support it as
currently written,
while a majority, 52 percent, want Parliament to revise the
document
before passage.
Scott Fischbach, the director of MMCL Go, an international pro-life outreach,
provided the polling results to LifeNews.com.
"Currently, advocates of abortion are using the issue of maternal mortality and
illegal abortions to argue for legalization of the
procedure. However,
the answer to illegal abortions and high maternal mortality
rates
is very simple: provide hope, opportunity and support for
pregnant
women by insuring a clean water supply, clean blood supply
and adequate
health care," he said.
"Kenya is a pro-life country and ought not to head toward an abortion-on-demand
policy in its new Constitution," he added.
http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/obama-adminstration-spends