HEALTH CARE REFORM WOULD FUND ABORTION

CBS News Anchor Katie Couric asked President Obama last month whether he advocates federal funding of abortion in government-subsidized health care.  The president answered that he'd "rather not wade into" the issue. He mentioned a "tradition" of excluding funding for abortions but did not say whether or not he supports that tradition.  In recent days, his Administration created a website to debunk the opposition's arguments against current plans for health care reform. Notably missing from the site is any mention of the criticism that the plan will lead to federal funding of abortion.

President Obama has left it to Congress to formulate legislation to enact his priority for national health care. House and Senate leaders, when asked whether abortion will be funded in any  plan they pass, have attempted to get away with similarly vague responses.  But the real answers are rising to the surface. In a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Utah Senator Orin Hatch smoked the truth out of Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski.  Senator Hatch asked Senator Mikulski whether an amendment she had offered to the Kennedy health care bill would force insurance companies to contract with abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. Observers say she stammered through her answer which was:  "It would include women's health clinics that provide comprehensive services and under the definition of a women's health clinic, it would include, uh, (And here's where she had trouble.) it would include uh, Planned, uh Parenthood clinics. It would, um, it does not expand in any way expand a service." (Perhaps not, but Planned Parenthood already does plenty of abortions. They are desperate to lock in more federal funding through Obamacare.) The senator continued, "In other words, it does not expand, um, uh, or mandate abortion service."

 Senator Hatch then observed, "No, but it would provide for them."

Then Ms. Mikulski said, "It would provide for any service deemed medically necessary or medically appropriate." Mind you, Planned Parenthood would be doing the 'deeming.' That being the case, Senator Hatch said he'd have a tough time supporting the Mikulski amendment and asked for some language about not including abortion services. Senator Mikulski was not willing to make such a change. The amendment passed the HELP committee anyway and so did the Kennedy health care bill by a 13 to 10 party line vote, but not before lawmakers rejected a series of amendments introduced by pro-life senators. 

Two House committees have also passed national health care bills. In all versions, attempts to exclude abortion funding have been defeated.  

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee says the Senate's Kennedy bill, and the health care legislation advocated by House leadership, if passed by the full Senate and House, will result in  "the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe vs. Wade."  He says it will mean "federal funding of abortion on a massive scale." In the battle over federal funding of abortion that has been waged since Roe made it legal, pro-lifers have largely prevailed. During what's left of this August congressional break, lawmakers must be convinced that this nation is repulsed by taxpayer funded abortion.