Members of the U.S. Senate today introduced legislation to completely ban taxpayer funding of abortions. Interestingly, not one Democrat signed on to the legislation, even though at least a couple of Senate Democrats claim to be “pro-life.”
Senators Mike Enzi and Senator John Barrasso, both Wyoming Republicans, joined Senators Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republicans, Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican, and other members of the Senate to introduce key legislation to enact a permanent, government-wide prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortion. Wicker and Roberts are the lead sponsors.
Currently, similar policies, such as the Hyde Amendment, require annual passage and do not apply to Obamacare and Congress must renew those pro-life policies every year or abortion funding will be re-implemented.
The “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” S. 582, also includes a provision championed by Senator Roberts requiring all health insurance plans offered by Obamacare exchanges to disclose coverage of elective abortion procedures and the abortion surcharge embedded into abortion-covering plans.
The legislation is the Senate companion to H.R. 7, authored by Representative Chris Smith, a Republican, and Dan Lipinski, a Democrat. That bill passed the House by a vote of 242-179 on January 22, the day America marked 42 years of legalized abortions.
Existing laws that would also be made permanent under S. 582 include the Smith FEHBP amendment (which prohibits funding for elective abortion coverage for federal employees) and the Dornan amendment (which prohibits use of congressionally appropriated funds for abortion in the District of Columbia).
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Last year, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office issued a report showing that taxpayer dollars paid for more than 1,000 health insurance plans that included elective abortion.
Senator David Vitte, a Loisiana Republican who is one of the co-sponsors, told LifeNews.com that the bill is needed to enact a permanent, government-wide prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortion.
“It’s tragic and completely unacceptable that any taxpayer funding is going towards abortions,” Vitter said. “It should come as no surprise that President Obama would mislead Americans about yet another aspect of Obamacare – but this time it comes at the expense of millions of unborn children.”
Below is a list of the co-sponsors of the abortion funding ban. Not one Democrat co-sponsored the bill even though Senators Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia both claim to be pro-life.
Cosponsors of the legislation include Roy Blunt, R-Mo., John Boozman, R-Ark., Richard Burr, R-N.C., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Dan Coats, R-Ind., Thad Cochran, R-Miss., Bob Corker, R-Tenn., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, John Hoeven, R-N.D., Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., James Lankford, R-Okla., John McCain, R-Ariz., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Rand Paul, R-Ky., David Perdue, R-Ga., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Richard Shelby, R-Ala., John Thune, R-S.D., and David Vitter, R-La.
The bill is supported by the National Right to Life, the Family Research Council, the Susan B. Anthony List, Americans United for Life, March for Life, and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, among others.
