Pro-Aborts Clouding Issue of Healthcare Reform-- Abortion

Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 8/6/2009 7:00:00 AM
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National Right to Life accuses the pro-abortion lobby of "creating smokescreens" intended to prevent Americans from finding out that their tax dollars will be used to fund abortion in the Democrats' government-run healthcare plan.

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards claimed earlier this week in a piece for the Huffington Post that taxpayers would not be forced to fund abortions in the government health insurance plan advocated by President Obama. "The public health insurance plan...would operate like any private insurance plan would," she wrote. "Therefore, there is no reason to treat any coverage issue, including abortion coverage, differently in the public health insurance plan than in private plans...." Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, notes that this is the same Cecile Richards, who on National Public Radio just a few months ago, said that the healthcare legislation would be "a platform to extend access to abortion to all women in the United States." "Now she spoke the truth on that occasion," he states. "That is what they are trying to do -- what they're putting out now is a lot of double-talk and misleading rhetoric." According to Johnson, changes to the House version of healthcare reform legislation make it abortion-friendly. "...[T]he fact is the language that the House committee adopted over our objections, and which [Richards'] side supports, would explicitly authorize the new government plan -- which would be available to every American -- to cover abortion on demand," the pro-life leader explains. "It would also allow federal subsidies to flow to private health plans that could cover abortion on demand." Family Research Council president Tony Perkins has challenged Cecile Richards to a debate on "the question of taxpayer-funded abortion and whether or not citizens would be forced to fund abortion under the current healthcare reform bills." Richards specifically targets Perkins' pro-family group in her column.

Over 100,000 Letters Sent Urging Congress to Keep Abortion Out of Health Care

Contact: Joy Yearout, Susan B. Anthony List, 703-380-6674, jyearout@sba-list.org WASHINGTON, July 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the Susan B. Anthony List announced that pro-life activists nationwide have sent over 100,000 letters to Congress urging the exclusion of abortion from any national health care reform effort. "As we approach the August recess, already tens of thousands of pro-life Americans have contacted Congress urging them to keep abortion out of health care," said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. "Americans are urging Members of Congress to preserve the real common ground, our long-standing tradition of limiting taxpayer funds for abortion. This is exactly the type of policy the President has sought to achieve, one that stands the test of time, has popular support and appeals to members on both sides of the aisle. Yet both the House and Senate versions of health care reform legislation seek to undo this commonsense policy. Without language to explicitly exclude an abortion mandate, the legislation will result in Americans footing the bill for abortion on-demand in the largest expansion of government-backed abortion since Roe v. Wade."

In an interview with CBS' Katie Couric last week, President Obama said, "What I think is important, at this stage, is not trying to micromanage what benefits are covered. [. . .] As you know, I'm pro choice. But I think we also have a tradition of, in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of government funded health care." "Families are at the very heart of the health care issue," said Dannenfelser. "And with pregnancy there are always two patients, mother and baby. We must establish a health care system that respects, protects and cherishes both.

Congress should explicitly exclude an abortion mandate and preserve the common ground policies supported by the growing majority of pro-life Americans." To date this year, Susan B. Anthony List activists have sent nearly 400,000 letters urging Congress to keep taxpayer funds from supporting abortion on-demand, 112,000 of which called for the exclusion of abortion from health care.

In a recent action alert, NARAL Pro-Choice America reported sending 12,500 letters to the Senate in support of an abortion mandate. The Susan B. Anthony List is a member of the Stop the Abortion Mandate Coalition , a coalition of pro-life organizations dedicated to keeping the abortion mandate out of health care reform. The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 162,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process. http://www.sba-list.org/

Source: http://www.christiannewswire.com/