Contact: Jerry Horn, Priests for Life, 540-220-0095

WASHINGTON, June 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today urged the House of Representatives to maintain the Mexico City Policy.

"American taxpayers should not have to pay for abortions, here or anywhere else," said Fr. Pavone.  "The Smith-Stupak Amendment will maintain a policy that has been successful in saving lives around the world for years.  There's no reason to subsidize the abortion industry; there's every reason for Congress to vote for the Smith-Stupak Amendment."

"Furthermore, I challenge Rep. Nita Lowey, and those who join her in trying to eliminate the Mexico City Policy, to take thirty seconds on the House floor to describe exactly what an abortion is.  They may want to use Dr. Martin Haskell's sworn court testimony in which he says, 'typically the skull is brought out in fragments rather than as a unified piece.'  After all, it's only right that taxpayers know what they are paying for."

[Note: Haskell's testimony was given in May, 1999, United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Case No. 98-C-0305-S.]

Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.