Downriver Today

On Sept. 4, CNN aired a seven-hour Climate Town Hall discussing the issue of climate change in the U.S. and globally with the 2020 Democrat presidential candidates. During his time, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont discussed rapid human population growth throughout the world. 

During a question about curbing population growth asked by teacher Martha Readyoff, Sanders pointed to the lack of access to birth control and abortion aid in under-developed countries throughout the globe.

“And the Mexico City agreement, which denies American aid to those organizations around the world that are – that allow women to have abortions or even get involved in birth control, to me is totally absurd,” Sanders said during the town hall. “So I think, especially in poor countries around the world where women do not necessarily want to have large numbers of babies, and where they can have the opportunity through birth control to control the number of kids they have, it’s something I very, very strongly support.”

The Mexico City policy was enacted in 1984 by the Ronald Reagan administration. It prohibited U.S. federal funding from being used to provide abortion counseling, referrals, advocacy or services in other countries. The policy was rescinded by subsequent administrations soon after, but was reinstated by the Donald Trump administration in 2017.

The Michigan Republican Party made a statement when asked about Sanders' stance. 

“The Republican Party is committed to the sanctity of human life and opposes Bernie Sanders' radical views on population control,” Communications Director Tony Zammit of the Michigan Republican Party told Downriver Today.

Other conservatives weren’t too happy with Sander’s remarks about population control and using taxpayer dollars to assist in abortion services. The Washington Post reported CNN commentator S.E. Cupp compared it to eugenics, tweeting: “Let’s just state for the record: talking about needing ‘population control’ through ABORTION for the sake of CLIMATE is talking about EUGENICS. The fact that @BernieSanders is willing to entertain this vile idea is not only disgusting, it should be disqualifying.”