A Catholic reporter confronted Press Secretary Jen Psaki during Wednesday's briefing to ask why the Biden administration's policies allow taxpayer money from pro-life citizens to fund abortion clinics.
Since President Joe Biden's inauguration in January, the 46th President of the United States began unraveling former President Donald Trump's strict policies, especially when it comes to abortion.
Specifically, the Biden administration retracted a Trump policy that prohibits Title X funding to funnel into family-planning clinics that "perform, promote, refer for, or support abortion as a method of family planning." Title X is widely accepted as the federal family planning program for the low-income segment, from which Planned Parenthood receives a $60-million check every year.
Now, President Biden wants to reinstate Title X funding to abortion providers, causing a Catholic reporter to pointedly ask White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki why this should be so.
According to Christian Headlines, White House correspondent Owen Jensen, who represented the Catholic news agency EWTN, asked the White House Press secretary, "Why does the Biden administration insist that pro-life Americans pay for abortions and violate their conscience?"
Psaki retorted that it was "not an accurate depiction of what happened" and read a section of the Public Health Service Act, which said, "None of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning." Jensen countered that there are "indirect subsidies" that benefit from Title X's "money that's fungible, that can't be traced."
At this point, the White House Press Secretary took the opportunity to explain how the Biden administration had a firm belief of "advancing equity for all," especially for people of color, as well as the "historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality." Psaki argued that furthering equity under the Title X banner helps improve on those marginalized communities.
Jensen then advocated for pro-life Americans, asking, "How is it equity, how is it fighting systemic racism when abortion, we well know, disproportionately affects minority children?"
Psaki reiterated that funding from Title X "cannot be used for abortion" but instead, will be used to provide better access to healthcare especially in marginalized communities (It's worth noting that pro-abortion advocates call abortion "reproductive healthcare"). When Jensen attempted to argue, she cut him off and moved to address another reporter's question.
According to FOX News, the Biden administration's changes to the Title X program will reinstate grants to abortion clinics such as Planned Parenthood, which was previously cut off by the Trump administration. Back then, Planned Parenthood condemned the former president's lack of support literally and financially, galling it a "gag rule" that was "cruel and vicious."
Now, the Biden administration welcomed back Planned Parenthood to its umbrella of federal funding much to the chagrin of pro-life Americans. As per NPR, pro-life Americans are advocating that those who oppose abortion "hould not be compelled to support, through public funding, any organization involved in providing or referring patients for abortion."
National Right to Life Committee President Carol Tobias is concerned that instead of providing better healthcare and family planning advice, these abortion clinics may make it "too easy" to choose abortion instead.
