James M. Talent: “The issue is this. We do not use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions here in the United States. We should be clear and…”

“The issue is this. We do not use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions here in the United States. We should be clear and certain that we do not do so abroad as well, and that is what we are talking about here, making crystal-clear what I think is, people claim is implicit in the setup: making it crystal-clear that American taxpayer dollars are not going to be used directly or indirectly to subsidize abortion or subsidize organizations that provide abortions, and if everybody agrees that we ought to do that, I cannot see the objection to making it clear with this particular language. I am glad the gentleman offered the motion to instruct. I think it shows respect for the millions of people in this country who believe deeply as a matter of conscience, as I do, that this practice is wrong, and hope some day that we can eliminate it not just here, but around the world as well.”