President Obama on Thursday praised the passage of Kenya's new constitution, which was approved by an overwhelming majority amid claims that the United States improperly meddled in promoting passage of the document, which contains controversial abortion language.
UPDATE 11/17/11: Obama admin ‘hired surrogates’ to push for abortion in Kenya
UPDATE 10/6/10: Congressman Wants Probe of Obama's Illegal Abortion Push in Kenya
UPDATE 10/2/10: USAID rules Obama did not illegally fund legalization of abortion in Kenya
UPDATE 8/27/10: Kenya's president Omar al-Bashir signs new constitution into law
-- From "Vote in Kenya: Why U.S. Abortion Debate Has Become a Factor" by Dana Hughes, ABC News
Millions of Kenyans have taken to the polls in one of the country's most historic elections. They are voting for a new draft constitution that . . . will overhaul the current constitution, which was ratified at the country's independence in 1963.
[It] includes a provision on abortion that the Kenyan clergy and religious leaders say opens up the door to "abortion on demand." The clause still outlaws the act, but says that if the mother's health or life is in danger a qualified "health professional" may perform one. The health professional language allows for abuse, say religious leaders and anti-abortion activists.
Though the argument may not win over Kenyans, it has found support from an unlikely source – members of the U.S. Congress. . . .
[New Jersey Representative Chris Smith] cites a State Department Inspector General Report showing that some of the groups associated with voter education projects and which are being funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, are also tied to abortion-rights groups. In response to the report the US Embassy in Nairobi said it suspended funding to some of the voter education programs in question. There have also been accusations that anti-abortion rights groups linked to the Christian Right in the United States have helped fund the campaign against the referendum.
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From "Obama Lauds Passage of Kenyan Constitution As Critics Slam Its Abortion Rights Stand" FoxNews.com 8/5/10
Results showed nearly 70 percent of Kenyan voters backed the document . . .
Obama applauded the Kenyan people for approving the document and conducting a "peaceful, transparent and credible" vote.
[A] federal law makes it illegal for the U.S. government to lobby on abortion overseas -- Smith cited a report by the U.S. Agency for International Development that estimated more than $23 million in taxpayer funds were spent on the referendum.
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From "Kenyans approve constitution that legalizes abortion following congressional inquiry into U.S. funding" by Amanda Carey, The Daily Caller 8/6/10
A report released by the Office of Inspector General of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after the congressional inquiry showed that the federal government had used $23 million in American taxpayer money to support the passage of the Kenyan constitution, which contradicted earlier statements from the U.S. Embassy in Kenya. Using taxpayer dollars to lobby for or against abortion violates federal law.
The White House has yet to address such concerns. It did however, voice support for passage. Vice President Biden traveled to Kenya earlier this summer to urge Kenyans to vote “yes.” On Thursday President Obama released a statement congratulating the people of Kenya on passing the constitution.
In a recent press conference, Smith restated his concerns about the White House’s involvement in the Kenyan referendum. “There has been U.S. complicity at every turn,” he told The Daily Caller.
Smith said that in recent months, officials from the Kenyan government visited the White House asking for financial support for their constitutional process.
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