Restoring The Right To Life, CIA Clams Up, Fighting Religious Persecution

by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Restoring The Right To Life - Of all the tragedies of abortion on demand, one of the worst may be that countless innocent American girls have been taught by the culture, and even sometimes by their parents, that their dignity and opportunity depends on their ability to destroy their own unborn children. I believe this sad fact is doing more to destroy America than what any foreign enemy could ever do.

That's not hyperbole, my friends. One million abortions a year is roughly 2,700 abortions a day. We are committing a 9/11 almost every day.

I was reminded what abortion on demand does to young women by an extraordinary confession of one mother on "The View" recently. The mother was Ali Wentworth, wife of ABC News anchor and Clinton loyalist George Stephanopoulos. Wentworth told the panel that when it was obvious Clinton was going to lose the election, her 14 year-old daughter was in tears as she screamed that the election would mean "No Abortion!"

When I read that, it broke my heart. It wasn't that many years ago when 14 year-old girls dreamed of someday meeting the person they would love and who would love them, and with that person bringing new life into the world. It is unnerving to think how many of our daughters and granddaughters may now be convinced that there is nothing more noble than to destroy that life before the child can take her first breath outside the womb.

There are lots of things that must be dealt with in the coming years. But anyone who thinks abortion won't be a big issue just needs to look at what Obama is doing on his way out the door. According to the Washington Times, the Obama Administration finalized a rule yesterday that "requires states to distribute dollars from Title X of the Public Health Service Act without taking into account whether recipient clinics perform abortions." This new regulation is set to take effect on January 18th, two days before Donald Trump and Mike Pence take office.

In spite of public opposition to taxpayer funding of abortions -- here and here -- the Obama Administration is doing everything it can to guarantee that your hard-earned tax dollars are used to subsidize the nation's largest abortion business.

In a very important meeting yesterday, I reminded the attendees that America will not be great again until the day comes when all of our children are welcomed into the world, protected by the law, have a seat at the table and are part of the American family.

We must restore the right to life -- the first right our founding fathers recognized as an unalienable right granted not by government, but by our Creator.

CIA Clams Up - The CIA had a lot to say recently about Russia's supposed role in influencing the election. Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was particularly interested in learning more after information leaked last week claiming that the agency had determined that Russia was trying to help Donald Trump win.

So he called for a closed door hearing for members of the Intelligence Committee with officials from the CIA, the FBI, the NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Now, however, CIA chief John Brennan has clammed up. He refused to send a representative to yesterday's scheduled hearing, citing President Obama's order for a complete review of the information.

Chairman Nunes is furious, and rightly so. The CIA is casting doubt on the fairness of the election, but it won't explain itself to members of Congress.

Nunes blasted the CIA's "intransigence" as "unacceptable," and warned of the possible "manipulation of intelligence for political purposes."

The left is demanding that the Electoral College overturn the results of the election based on rumors that the Obama Administration is now refusing to explain. This is unprecedented!

Like all red-blooded Americans, I am infuriated by the thought that Russia would attempt to influence our elections. But anyone who thinks that Wikileaks or DNC leaks caused Hillary Clinton's loss must be smoking some of that newly legal marijuana.

It is not credible in my view that Vladimir Putin preferred the election of the candidate who made it clear that the days of pushing America around were over. Clinton, in contrast, was the nominee of the party that resisted efforts to rein in first the Soviet Union and now Russia.

Fortunately, most Americans aren't buying the left's nonsense. A new poll finds that just 32% of Americans believe Russia's attempts to influence the election helped Trump, while 59% say Russia's efforts had no effect. That 32% probably thinks Elvis is hanging out with Martians too.

Some observers think Putin may have been trying to undermine the confidence of the American people in our constitutional republic. The firestorm being created by the media and the left, suggesting that somehow the election wasn't fair, is playing right into his hands.

Sadly, it is clear that the left will resort to anything in order to complete its fundamental transformation of America into a European-style welfare state that spends its time apologizing for its existence. That should outrage Americans far more than the hacking of the DNC.

Fighting Religious Persecution - I am pleased to report that Congress passed the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act this week. The bill was named after my good friend former Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia, a fearless advocate for religious liberty here in America and around the world. Wolf retired from Congress in 2014.

The legislation bearing his name was sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). For full disclosure, I proudly note that my daughter, Elyse, worked for Rep. Wolf on this issue for many years, and currently works on a commission for Sen. Rubio on religious liberty issues.

The new law integrates religious freedom into every aspect of U.S. foreign policy. It requires international religious freedom training for all foreign service officers. It elevates the position of ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom, requiring that individual to report directly to the secretary of state. And it also requires more frequent presidential actions to combat severe violations of religious liberty abroad.

Protecting religious liberty in America and defending this fundamental human right overseas is a paramount issue. A key priority of my efforts next year will be working with the new administration to reform our refugee program. Persecuted Christians in the Middle East have been left behind  by the Obama Administration. We believe they should be first in line when it comes to our refugee program.
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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