Over a dozen leaders and scholars affiliated with the ‘Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden’ initiative have signed a statement expressing disappointment with the new Biden administration’s desire to remove a legal statute limiting taxpayer funding of abortion – one of the new President’s top legislative priorities for his first 100 days in office.
The administration recently declared support for a Covid-19 relief bill that would repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding of abortion in most instances.
This is part of President Biden’s policy of amending the US Civil Rights Act of 1964 to create the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. This was passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 224–206 and this now sweeping civil rights Bill claims to extend proper education, shelter, employment, and non-discrimination to the LGBTQ+ community in America.
The Bill is, however, set to face heated sessions in the Senate, with some Republicans strongly objecting to it for allegedly putting ‘women’s rights in sports and other sectors under direct threat’.
In their statement, the evangelical leaders and scholars said they ‘feel used and betrayed’, but ‘have no intention of simply watching these kinds of efforts happen from the sidelines.’ This is because ‘many evangelicals and Catholics took risks to support Biden publicly. President Biden needs to honour their courage’.
The statement says: ‘We call on President Biden to honour his commitment to us and immediately demand that the House of Representatives apply the Hyde language to the American Relief Package.’
Lynda Rose of Voice for Justice UK said ‘Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden say they feel betrayed and abused, but why are they surprised? The Democrats are known for their pro-abortion stance, and Joe Biden, above all else, is a good Democrat. They should have listened to his speeches prior to the election. This was entirely predictable – they have been naïve.’
