Abortion activists blast Obama for not reading loophole into pro-life Helms Amendment

On Tuesday, pro-abortion activists rallied outside the White House for the United State of Women White House summit, to protest President Barack Obama for not using executive action to further promote abortion.

The protesting organizations included Reproaction, the Center for Health and Gender Equity, and Amnesty International. They contend that Obama should unilaterally reinterpret the Helms Amendment, language added to government appropriations annually to block foreign abortion funding, to include an exception for rape, incest, or life-of-the-mother cases.

“We have grown weary of years of excuses and silence,” reads a full-page ad the groups placed in the Washington Post. “Women would benefit greatly if President Obama took leadership to break barriers to abortion.” They justify the proposed change by citing women impregnated after getting raped in war zones.

According to the Helms Amendment language, “No foreign assistance funds may be used to pay for the performance of abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.” Abortion activists argue “as a method of family planning” does not apply to post-rape abortions.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign says that as president, she would “fix” the Helms Amendment to finance abortions for overseas rape victims.

Live Action News has previously analyzed similar claims that Obama’s tenure in the White House has been insufficiently pro-abortion, noting that it flies in the face of the fact that he has consistently opposed every restriction on abortion, supports abortion-on-demand at virtually any stage of pregnancy at taxpayer expense, and that he has refused to investigate Planned Parenthood’s sale of parts from aborted babies and possible related crimes.