Ocean County Leader

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, who chairs the House Global Health and Global Human Rights Subcommittee, has expressed concern over reports regarding U.S. involvement in promoting abortion legislation in Sierra Leone. Smith issued a statement addressing these concerns.

“It is deeply disturbing, but not terribly surprising, that we are hearing reports that the Biden Administration is threatening to withhold foreign assistance to Sierra Leone unless legislators there pass the deceptively named ‘Safe Motherhood Act’ legislation that would legalize abortion in Sierra Leone, a country that currently protects unborn life," Smith stated.

He further commented on his stance regarding abortion: “Let me be clear, abortion is not health care, nor is it an internationally recognized human ‘right.’”

Smith criticized what he described as the Biden Administration’s approach: “The Biden Administration’s pro-abortion bullying tactics and raw attempt at ideological colonialism is unacceptable. Abortion always ends the life of the unborn baby and harms the mother.”

He emphasized support for countries with pro-life policies: “Pro-life countries should be celebrated and respected for protecting unborn children and their mothers—not penalized by a pro-abortion lame duck Biden Administration.”

Looking ahead to future actions, Smith said, “I will work with the incoming Trump Administration to conduct a thorough review of actions by all U.S. agencies, from USAID to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, to determine whether U.S. laws were violated by U.S. government staff through misallocation—or threat of misallocation—of U.S. funding in order to pressure countries to change their prolife laws.”

Smith concluded with criticism of imposing certain agendas on other nations: “Forcing a pro-abortion and woke agenda on financially vulnerable and democratic sovereign nations harms both the U.S. and our allies and is bad diplomacy. It must end.”