Photo credit: Iowa House Republicans
Last week during the debate on HF 2460Ā in the Iowa House, State Representative Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville) gave a great speech explained why abortionists should be defunded of taxpayer money. Salmon gave her remarks on the Iowa House floor introducing an amendment she later withdrew. The Iowa House later passed the health and human services appropriations bill with language that defunded abortion clinics.
Below is the transcript of her remarks after she introduced her amendment.
Iowans have 213 federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics besides those in urban centers where healthcare can be accessed without depending on the few abortionists in the state. These health care centers/clinics serve low-income, medically under-served populations, and provide comprehensive primary and preventive healthcare as compared to abortionistsā limited healthcare options, but do not commit abortion. Therefore, abortionists are not needed and certainly do not need taxpayer funding.
About 4500 babies each year lose their lives in Iowa at the hands of abortionists. This is the equivalent of a kindergarten class being killed every 2 days in our state. Abortion accounts for about 50% of abortionistsā health services revenue. Their activities result in deadly consequences for babies and mothers, both physical and/or emotional. Those organizations do not strengthen us as a state but rather their culture of death weakens us spiritually, morally, and in our respect for human life and the rights of others. As if that is not enough, what would 180 more kindergarten classes across the state of Iowa do for our schoolsā struggles with declining enrollment?Ā How much does this contribute to a stagnating population? How much does this contribute to an undermanned workforce? How much does this weaken our economy? How much easier would it be to provide services and lower taxes with a greater population and an increased tax base? Organizations that kill unborn children cut us off from the blessings that God wants to give us. They devalue the life God has given us, a life that has inestimable value in His sight.
Abortion has ruined our judgment and has spawned multiple forms of corruption. A lawsuit is currently being litigated against abortionists in our state in federal court over a credible allegation of Medicaid fraud according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. This case involves about half a million potential false claims worth up to $28 million of potential taxpayer fraud. Federal law requires a State Medicaid agency to suspend all payments to a provider where there is a credible allegation of fraud.
Furthermore, there are numerous government audit reports demonstrating Medicaid fraud on the part of these abortionists. Most recently they were fingered by the Nebraska State Auditor for Medicaid billing for abortion-related procedures, which is illegal. We have moved legislation in this chamber in response to videos revealing the illegal harvesting and selling for lucrative profit of aborted baby body parts. The U.S. House of Representatives just released a report tonight from their investigation proving this very thing. Video footage and lawsuits also reveal abortionists disregarding statesā informed consent laws, disregarding statesā regulations for clinics, and disregarding sexual abuse laws and protecting statutory rapists and protecting sex traffickers. What law have they met that they consider important enough that they should obey it? Nearly a dozen states have already suspended public funding to abortionists, including Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin who has done so with the same abortionists we have here in Iowa, and this past January the U.S. Congress, in a historic vote, chose to defund abortionists.
The state of Iowa should have no part in doing business with organizations such as this. Credible research polls show that when Iowans know the facts, they are opposed to it. Iowans support better and more comprehensive healthcare than they could get with abortionists.
Where we put our money is where we put our heart. Iowans want us to put our money not in death but in life.
Watch her remarks below: