US lawmaker joins anti-abortion chorus of PEPFAR opponents

U.S. Representative Chris Smith, who in the past has championed PEPFAR, the U.S. global AIDS initiative, is adding his voice to critics who claim that the initiative is being used to fund abortion-related programs. “President Biden has hijacked PEPFAR … in order to promote abortion on demand,” the New Jersey Republican wrote in a letter to colleagues that Devex obtained. He goes on to say that “bad actor” NGOs that promote abortion have received $1.34 billion in PEPFAR funds since fiscal year 2021. The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — like all U.S. foreign assistance programs — is legally barred from funding abortion. It also operates in many countries where abortion is heavily restricted. Several of the organizations Smith names in his letter said that the information about them is incorrect and that they abide by all U.S. and local laws. They reiterated to Devex that the funding they receive from the U.S. government does not go to support abortion. Devex reported earlier this week that an unexpected campaign by conservative and anti-abortion activists to paint PEPFAR as a source of funding for abortion has some advocates worried that plans to extend the program’s legal authorization for another five years could be derailed. While many had said they’d hoped the opposition would eventually die down, Smith’s letter presents another blow to passing a simple five-year extension of the program. In 2018, Smith was one of the main co-sponsors of the bill extending PEPFAR’s authorization. Many had thought he might once again be a Republican co-sponsor of the bill. “The noble goals of PEPFAR must not now—or ever—be compromised by integrating the promotion of abortion,” Smith wrote in the letter, adding: “Any multi-year PEPFAR reauthorizing legislation must ensure that Biden’s hijacking of PEPFAR to promote abortion be halted.” Several advocates have told Devex that simple legislation that only changed the dates of PEPFAR authorization had the best hope of passing a divided Congress. Reopening the text of the bill would undoubtedly draw out the process and inject more politics into the debate. With Smith’s letter, some advocates now expect a more complicated path ahead. In the letter, Smith points to PEPFAR’s 2022 action plan and its 2023 country and regional operations guidance as evidence that the administration is “integrating” PEPFAR with abortion promotion and encouraging organizations to try to change laws related to sexual and reproductive rights. He highlights a few examples that include Population Services International and Pathfinder International, both of which work to expand access to abortion care and also implement PEPFAR programs. He also called out VillageReach, which he wrote helped Malawi establish a government-funded hotline that included information about sexual and reproductive health, which Smith equates with abortion. He also criticized the group for creating a manual that had a section about unsafe abortion and young people that included the need to change pro-life laws. But it seems some of the facts may be wrong in the letter. In an email to Devex, VillageReach said: “The PEPFAR funding and the description of the work provided by Rep. Chris Smith reflect an inaccurate portrayal of the program.” VillageReach received a $1.3 million DREAMS Innovative Challenge award in 2016 and implemented the PEPFAR-funded program between October 2016 and November 2018, they said via email. The funding supported a toll-free mobile health hotline that provided tailored youth-friendly services related to sexual and reproductive health with a goal of reducing school dropouts and HIV prevalence. “What we delivered complied with U.S. law and Malawi law,” VillageReach told Devex via email. Population Services International also told Devex that the information about the organization in the letter is incorrect. “We adhere strictly to all applicable regulations to ensure compliance and to provide essential reproductive healthcare services while respecting local laws,” the organization said in an email to Devex. “PSI’s safe abortion work remains separate from US government funding due to long-standing US laws and regulations,” the organization added, noting that no programs implemented by PSI with funding from PEPAR or U.S. Agency for International Development include abortion services.