Pelosi: Birth control will boost economy

In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., defended huge sums of money for "family planning services" tucked into President Obama's proposed economic stimulus package, claiming contraception will reduce government costs.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services," Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi, "how is that stimulus?"

"Well, the family planning services reduce cost," Pelosi answered. "They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those – one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Stephanopoulos immediately gave Pelosi, herself the mother of five children and grandmother to seven, the opportunity to retract a suggestion that it would help the economy if the government spent millions to help people stop having babies.

"So no apologies for that?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"No apologies," Pelosi answered. "No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy."

Video of the exchange on ABC's "This Week" can be seen below:

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As WND reported, President Obama is attempting to pass through Congress an $825 billion economic stimulus package, composed of both spending increases and tax cuts.

The effort comes less than six months after Congress approved a $700 billion bailout package, leaving many critics wondering if Americans will accept more government spending.

"I think a lot of Republicans will vote no," Boehner said on NBC's "Meet the Press," "because they see this as a lot of wasteful Washington spending, padding the bureaucracy and doing nothing to help create jobs and preserve jobs."

Rep. Mice Pence, R-Ind., said, "The American people know we cannot borrow and spend and bail our way back to a growing economy."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has already announced he will vote against the plan.

Pelosi expressed caution and the need for accountability under the watch of wary voters.

"Whatever we have to do will have to be clearly explained to Congress and to the American people as to what the purpose of the money is, why it is urgent, and then accountability for it as it is distributed," she said. "So hopefully this next second installment will help turn our financial crisis around, but it's not – if they come back – there's going to have to be a justification, because people will be very, very disappointed in how his money was dealt with at first."

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