Federal tax loophole let Planned Parenthood build clinics financed with ‘abortion bonds’

[Geee]

Washington Times

Federal taxpayer funding generally isn’t allowed to be spent on abortions, but Republicans say they have spotted a loophole in which tax-free municipal bonds have been used to put federal cash on the line in order to help build abortion clinics — including Planned Parenthood’s headquarters in New York.
Rep. Robert Pittenger, North Carolina Republican, will introduce legislation this week aimed at stopping what he called “abortion bonds.” He said it’s time to make the law agree with the principle that taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook in any way for the procedure.
“We’re utilizing the federal government to facilitate the development of these abortion clinics through the involvement of the American taxpayer, and they don’t want that,” Mr. Pittenger said.
Under current law, known as the Hyde Amendment policy, taxpayer funding is supposed to be limited to abortions in extreme cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life.
That prohibition generally covers Medicaid and other government-funded health care programs, but Mr. Pittenger said it also should cover areas where taxpayer money goes to subsidize abortion providers. He said construction of abortion clinics with publicly backed financing is one of those areas.