President Joe Biden seems determined to do as much harm as possible on his way out of office.
After all, why stop now?
Citing a former U.S. government official with ties to the region, The Daily Signal reported Monday that the Biden administration has engaged in what one Republican congressman called “pro-abortion bullying tactics” by threatening to withhold humanitarian aid from the West African country of Sierra Leone unless that country’s parliament swiftly adopts unpopular pro-abortion legislation.
While the country’s president, Julius Maada Bio, has said his government backs the bill, the former official said that most Sierra Leoneans oppose the legislation. This makes sense in light of their religious composition: Seventy-seven percent of Sierra Leone’s citizens are Muslim and 22 percent are Christian.
Moreover, the nation’s laws already permit abortion to save a mother’s life.
The proposed Safe Motherhood Act, however, would make the murder of unborn children legal up to 14 weeks for any reason and — shockingly — up to the time of birth if it’s deemed necessary to preserve the “mental health of the woman.”
Meanwhile, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. foreign aid agency, has agreed to a five-year, $480 million deal that would bring affordable electricity to Sierra Leoneans.
That deal, however, now allegedly hangs in the balance. The Daily Signal described it as “common knowledge among nongovernmental organizations” that the MCC has threatened to withhold the aid.
Jenel Few, MCC’s press secretary, denied the report.
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“Any such legislation would be an internal matter for Sierra Leone with no U.S. government development funds made contingent on its passage,” Few said.
Predictably, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken chairs the MCC’s board of directors. Blinken did not respond to a request for comment, according to Fox News.
In a statement issued Monday, Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, Chairman of the House Global Health and Global Human Rights Subcommittee, excoriated the Biden administration for its reported attempt at ideological extortion.
“It is deeply disturbing, but not terribly surprising, that we are hearing reports that the Biden Administration is threatening to withhold foreign assistance to Sierra Leone unless legislators there pass the deceptively named ‘Safe Motherhood Act’ legislation that would legalize abortion in Sierra Leone, a country that currently protects unborn life,” Smith wrote.
Smith then likened Biden administration officials to others who have invaded the African continent with nefarious motives.
“The Biden Administration’s pro-abortion bullying tactics and raw attempt at ideological colonialism is unacceptable. Abortion always ends the life of the unborn baby and harms the mother,” the congressman wrote.
“Pro-life countries should be celebrated and respected for protecting unborn children and their mothers — not penalized by a pro-abortion lame-duck Biden Administration,” he added.
Indeed, the “lame duck” aspect of Biden’s attempt at ideological extortion makes an already hideous story even worse.
In fact, the unnamed former government official told The Daily Signal that the MCC regards President-elect Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House as a looming deadline.
To be sure, the second Trump administration might review foreign aid in general. But it certainly will not tie existing foreign aid agreements to domestic pro-abortion legislation.
Only the Biden administration would have the chutzpah to do something that evil on its way out the door.