ABORTIONS FUNDED BY GOVERNMENT

For the first time in 30 years, the federal government will be in the business of funding abortions. A big fight is brewing among House Democrats on the proposed health reform bill allowing federal funding of abortions.

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ABORTIONS FUNDED BY GOVERNMENT

For the first time in 30 years, the federal government will be in the business of funding abortions. A big fight is brewing among House Democrats on the proposed health reform bill allowing federal funding of abortions.

Forty anti-abortion Democrats, opposed to abortion, are stalling passage of the reform legislation. They don’t want people to use federal subsidies they get to be used for abortions.

THE ISSUE

Federal subsidies and the private payments will be combined for a person to buy a health plan. Hence, federal dollars will help fund insurance plans that allow abortions. The government would pay these abortions because the government runs the plan. Both House and Senate versions of the healthcare bill, permit federal funds to pay for insurance plans to cover abortions.

A LITTLE HISTORY

A 1976 law, barred federal funds from being used for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or to ensure the life of the mother.

Every year, a provision was added to all the spending bills that prohibited states from using the matching funds they get from the government for their Medicaid programs to pay for abortions. That provision is called the “Hyde Amendment”. This meant, no dollars that your state’s Medicaid fund could be paid for elective abortions. It forced states to cover abortions for low-income women with their own money. Separate clauses applied these restrictions to the federal employee health plan, the military, and other programs.

THE PROPOSED HEALTH REFORM PLAN

On July 30, a bill was sponsored by Rep.Capp, mandating that at least one insurance plan in each exchange must cover abortions. The committee backed this provision allowing people to use subsidies under the bill to buy insurance plans to cover abortions. However only funds from individuals or employer health-care premiums could go toward paying for an abortion.

Effectively, insurance companies would have to segregate money from government payments from those they were getting from private sources, and only the private sector money could be used for abortion.

Because the Hyde amendment only affects funding included in the appropriation bill that carries it, the prohibition on abortion funding would not apply to this reform bill, since permanent funding stream for federal health insurance subsidies would be set up through this healthcare reform bill.

Congressman Stupak, on July 31, placed an amendment (defeated 31 to 27) to include the Hyde language directly in the healthcare bill itself. This would have prohibited abortion funding through that bill and all the programs the bill would create.

President Obama, in his September 9 speech, to a joint session of Congress, said, “Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions”. Apparently Mr. Obama has changed his mind.

RESISTANCE

Currently 40 Democrats oppose the Capp amendment for public funding of abortions, and with the help of Republicans, enough to derail the health bill. They argue that the legislation would use tax dollars to subsidize insurance that would cover abortion. Currently federal law protects the taxpayers from paying for abortions as part of the health benefits given to federal employees.

Nothing in federal law blocks individual states from using their own tax dollars or paying into plans to pay for elective abortions (currently 17 states do pay for elective abortions).

COMMENTARY

If this abortion amendment becomes law, abortion coverage would be a part of a public option. Tax dollars would be funneled to private health plans to cover abortions and would ensure that all parts of our country would have at least one health insurance plan that would pay for abortions.

For the first time in 30 years, the federal government would subsidize insurance plans that pay for abortions.

Our government will be in the business of funding abortions with your taxpayer dollars.

What do you think? Your comments are always appreciated.

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