America’s public lands belong to us all. But if radical leftists get their way, abortion clinics and tents could come to a National Park near you.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week, several Democratic lawmakers responded with calls to set up abortion clinics on federal public lands, namely National Parks, in red states.
Unsurprisingly, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are championing this asinine idea.
“There are … actions at President Biden’s disposal,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I’ll start with the babiest of the babiest of the baby steps: Open abortion clinics on federal lands in red states right now.”
Senator Warren similarly echoed AOC, remarking, "The federal government needs to be exploring what they can do to make federal lands available to help ensure access to abortion."
Warren didn’t stop there. She double downed and suggested Planned Parenthood, which recently received $618.1 million in taxpayer funding, set up abortion tents.
“They could put up tents, have trained personnel — and be there to help people who need it,” she told a Washington Post reporter. “It’s time to declare a medical emergency.”
Clearly a person who’s never visited our public lands would utter such nonsense.
Even Biden WH Rejects Abortion Clinics on National Parks
Unfortunately for AOC and Warren, the Biden administration even shot down this extreme recommendation.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the proposal could have “dangerous ramifications.”
"[We] understand the proposal is well-intentioned, but here's the thing: It could actually put women and providers at risk," Jean-Pierre said. "And importantly, in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees, as you look at the federal land, could be potentially -- be prosecuted."
Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash it’s off the table—for now.
"It's not right now what we are discussing," VP Harris said.
One Biden official, however, is open abortion on public lands: Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera. E&E News noted his comments:
“There is no magic bullet, but if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it at HHS,” Becerra said in a press conference announcing the agency’s new website on abortion rights
The Hyde Amendment Prohibits Federal Funding for Abortion—Even on Public Lands
The Biden White House isn’t the only obstacle here. The Hyde Amendment of 1976 bars federal funding for abortion except in the event of rape, incest, or life of the mother. This prohibition also extends to federal public lands.
The Hyde Amendment was inserted into the Departments of Labor and Health, Education, and Welfare, Appropriation Act of 1977. It’s been included in federal appropriations ever since and has historically enjoyed bipartisan support.
As a result, public lands experts conclude abortion clinics and tents can’t operate on National Parks, National Monuments, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands.
Some pro-abortion activists propose an alternative option: opening up Tribal lands to abortion services. But here’s the catch: Native Americans aren’t interested in partaking. Why? Too many Native women were subjected to forced sterilizations. And tribal representatives see non-Tribal abortion advocates as “Neo-Colonialists” here:
“Any time there's a call for tribes to do something that is not originating in their own thought processes, it very much just reeks of further colonization,” said Leeds. “You know, the outsider trying to tell a local tribal government what their law and policy ought to be.”
Native Americans find the conversation particularly upsetting given a well-documented history of sexual violence against Indigenous women that ranged from rape and trafficking to forced sterilizations in the 1970s.
Kaiser Health News reports many Tribal leaders also oppose abortion on religious grounds:
Tribal councils would be unlikely to approve such clinics, said Charon Asetoyer, executive director of the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center on the Yankton Sioux reservation in South Dakota.
Asetoyer said many tribal leaders’ views on abortion are shaped by religion. “The churches have a pretty big hold,” she said. “Politically, I think it would be very challenging to see one of our leaderships stand up for the rights of women. I really don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Conclusion
Federal public lands, including National Parks, aren’t exclusively reserved for pro-choicers; pro-lifers can and should access them too.
The radical Left should stop politicizing America's outdoor spaces. It’s unhelpful, divisive, and shameful.
Republicans and Democrats agree: Keep abortion clinics off of public lands.