A total of 181 U.S. congressional lawmakers took time to sign a joint letter vowing to uphold the Hyde Amendment and other pro-life provisions in future spending bills. One prominent name not on the list was Dean of the House, Rep. Don Young.
The Alaska Watchman reached out to Young’s press office for an explanation on why he did not sign the letter, but did not get a response.
While Young rarely takes a public lead in fighting for pro-life legislation, he has generally been a reliable pro-life vote. The Family Research Council, a pro-life and pro-liberty group that scores members of Congress, gave Young an 84.6% mark for his votes in 2020. Likewise, National Right to Life gave Young a 100% rating in 2020.
“The removal of these longstanding policies represents an extreme pro-abortion stance that needs to be immediately addressed,” the lawmakers stated.
Last year, however, Young declined to vote against the Equality Act, a comprehensive bill that threatens pro-life laws and advances the radical LGBTQ agenda while undermining fundamental religious freedoms. After lengthy and impassioned debate, the measure passed out of the House, 224 to 206. Three Republicans joined every Democrat in voting for the bill. Rep. Don Young was one of just two legislators who failed to cast a vote either way.
The recent joint letter, sent to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Jan. 13, explains that Democrats have demonstrated a plan to use fiscal year 2022 appropriations legislation to “strip out longstanding pro-life protections that have been in place for decades.”
In the joint letter, pro-life congressional members vowed to “vote against any federal funding bill that weakens or eliminates them.”
The letter recalls that for decades, federal appropriations legislation has included language to “protect taxpayer money from funding and facilitating the killing of children alive but not yet born. The most famous of these protections, the Hyde Amendment, prevents direct taxpayer funding of most abortions through programs like Medicaid. Since 1976 it has been renewed every year on a bipartisan basis, and it is credited with saving at least 2.4 million lives.”
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
The letter notes that in July 2021, House Democrats passed several appropriations bills that did not include the Hyde Amendment or other longstanding, bipartisan pro-life protections. Lawmakers point out that many of these protections would also be eliminated by appropriations bills recently released by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“The removal of these longstanding policies represents an extreme pro-abortion stance that needs to be immediately addressed,” the lawmakers wrote. “Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for abortion domestically or internationally. The consciences of health care providers who do not want to participate in abortion should be respected. Funding should not go to international organizations that are complicit in forced abortion and involuntary sterilization.”
The letter concludes by urging Congressional leadership to “publicly oppose this pro-abortion extremism and to highlight the fact that, for FY 2022 appropriations legislation to become law, all longstanding pro-life provisions must be retained. We will vote against any legislation that does not retain them.”
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to contact Rep. Don Young.
— Click here to read the joint letter.
11 Comments
Can with people Alaska be held accountable for his sold soul after leaving him in the pit of Hell called DC for so long?
His sullen eyes speak volumes of remorse for his betrayals.
Remorse? No, he’s just too old and dotie and the young people working for him are doing all the work, he’s just a figure head. It’s time for him to go!
I think this is obviously glaringly showing alaska is moving to one day be a blue state after rank choice voting. Perhaps his absence is he needs to consider voters outside his base? Unless church leaders and church people stop playing church praying for the rapture to come quickly so not to do what church peoples are called sharing the gospel while growing the church membership looking after the fatherless, widows, low income, orphans.
What a miserable old goat! I can’t believe I voted for him so many times, but never will again. Definitely needs to be put out to pasture
REP YOUNG, TIME FOR YOU TO GO!
This wasn’t his first mistake. Don Young has been a consistent disappointment this legislative session. He voted for the lunatic Liz Cheney for her leadership position within the Republican caucus at the start of this session and continued to support her even after Representative Cheney voted to impeach President Trump. Don Young appears to be losing it and may no longer be showing the conservative values that got him elected in the first place. It is time for Representative Young to go and be replaced by a more energetic conservative. I suggest he announce his retirement before he is defeated in the next election.
Agreed!
It is time for Biden and Don to go home and eat ice-cream cones together.
Get busy and vote Don Young out. He has been in office too long. We need a change in the State
Constitution to limit the time the representative serves and the two senators. Young is famous for nothing on the job performance and polishing the seat of his chair at the capital. Get out and vote and time to get rid of the lazy hang on people that do this state no good.
Retire and enjoy what time you have left.
I have lived in this state a long time. Don Young has never come across as a man who has a morally principled prolife stance. He was re-elected for decades to do one thing: bring home the federal bacon. He kept his end of the bargain. Is it reasonable to expect that he will now rouse himself to be the prolife leader he never aspired to be?