Lois Capps: “Mr. Speaker, I come to the United States as a former teacher of religion, and I want to speak plainly about H.R. 581.…”

“Mr. Speaker, I come to the United States as a former teacher of religion, and I want to speak plainly about H.R. 581. Religious people representing a variety of traditions and denominations have very strong feelings on this subject. They know that the number of unwanted pregnancies is too high. They also know that the estimated 25 billion unsafe and illegal abortions annually is a moral issue that must be addressed. Therefore, there is a strong consensus that there should be voluntary access to family planning services. The evidence confirms that family planning prevents unwanted pregnancies. Mr. Speaker, people of faith affirm that human life, human reproduction are intended by God to be a blessing for the world. Responsible stewardship of human reproduction dictates that each child is a blessing for that child, his or her family and the world. Giving people the tools to take responsibility for their own reproductive health is vital to achieving this goal. H.R. 581 will devastate these programs. This bill will severely inhibit comprehensive reproductive health services by shutting down many foreign NGO's that provide these services. Because of this the Mexico City-H.R. 581 restrictions will result in more abortions around the world, not fewer. This bill also runs contrary to a fundamental sense of stewardship.”