President Biden's administration is pressuring Sierra Leone's government to adopt more permissive abortion policies in exchange for foreign aid, according to a report Monday.
The African country currently bans abortion in most circumstances, but a bill introduced in parliament would decriminalize abortion. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a funding agency run by the U.S. government, is reportedly threatening to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid funding if abortion legislation is not passed, the region said. A former U.S. government official who worked at Daily Signal.
MCC CEO Alice Albright signed the agreement with Sierra Leon Finance Minister Shekh Bangura in late September. The agreement will see the country receive $480 million in foreign aid as long as it meets the MCC's “rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.” The organization continually assesses compliance with Sierra Leone standards.
The group denied any effort to influence Sierra Leone's abortion policy in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“The Millennium Challenge Corporation has no knowledge of Sierra Leone's abortion laws and has never made any request to the government of Sierra Leone regarding abortion policy. We do not rely on it,” the group said in a statement.
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The office of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who chairs the MCC board, did not respond to a request for comment.
Footage circulating on social media shows boisterous pro-life protesters demonstrating inside Sierra Leone's parliament as lawmakers debated a bill on Tuesday.
The country's pro-life activists say President Julius Maada Bio fired the attorney general last week for refusing to advance abortion legislation in Congress. Bio appointed Alpha Sesay as its new AG this week. Sesay, a former USAID employee, has recently been advocating for new abortion laws on social media.
Rep. Chris Smith (R.N.J.) denounced reports of a pressure campaign in a statement Monday.
“We are hearing reports that the Biden administration is threatening to withhold foreign aid to Sierra Leone unless it passes a bill deceptively named the Safe Motherhood Act that would legalize abortion in Sierra Leone. “That's not all that surprising, but it's not all that surprising in a country that currently protects unborn children,” he told Signal.
President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone attended the “Leaders Panel – Path to Peace and Prosperity” within the Antalya Diplomatic Forum. ((Photo credit: Ali Balikci/Anadolu Agency, Getty Images))
Smith previously accused the Biden administration of “hijacking” a Bush-era program providing AIDS relief to Africa to promote abortion policies.
According to the CDC, HIV infections have declined in recent years, but the CDC calls for improved equity.
PEPFAR, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, was launched in 2003 under President George W. Bush and has invested more than $100 billion to fight AIDS around the world, while simultaneously targeting 25 million people. It has saved millions of lives and prevented millions of infections. the state department says. PEPFAR was submitted to Congress for reauthorization last year.
“President Biden has taken over PEPFAR, a $6 billion annual foreign aid program aimed at alleviating HIV/AIDS in many target countries, primarily in Africa, to promote abortion on demand. ” Smith told colleagues in a 2023 statement.
Congressman Chris Smith accused the Biden administration of using foreign aid to push African countries toward abortion-friendly laws. ((Photo by: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images))
Smith said two organizations, Population Services International (PSI) and Village Reach, have received $96.5 million and $10.1 million, respectively, from PEPFAR under the Biden administration in the past few years, and both organizations promote abortion. He said he has a track record of doing so.
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“PSI proudly proclaims that it provides abortions and lobbies to repeal pro-life laws,” Smith said. “PSI provides comprehensive abortion and post-abortion care services in approximately 20 countries around the world.”
FOX News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report
