PolitiFact Wisconsin: Grothman off-base with claim on U.S. tax dollars funding abortions abroad
“On Jan. 3, 2019, the House of Representatives — fresh under Democratic control — passed a bill in an effort to reopen government departments that were affected by the partial shutdown. Ultimately, that bill didn’t go anywhere, and the shutdown was resolved differently. But we wanted to return to that piece of legislation and a claim made by U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah. … Is Grothman correct that a provision in the first bill passed by House Democrats would ‘allow the billions of dollars of aid we send to other countries to be used for abortions?’ … [H]ad the House Democrats been successful with their measure, and [undone] the new [Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance, also known as the Mexico City] policy, would it mean U.S. aid money could then go to fund abortions? No. Before the Mexico City policy, there was a budget amendment 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.’ The so-called ‘Helms Amendment’ … remains in place…” (Soellner, 2/19).