House Lawmakers Say Obama Health Care Plan an Abortion Industry Bailout
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 28, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Several pro-life members of the House of Representatives held a press conference today to keep up the pressure on getting abortion out of the health care restructuring plan Congress is considering. Their effort come as one top abortion advocate says keeping abortion in is essential to the debate.
The government-run health care plan Congressional Democrats are crafting is a bailout for the abortion industry — that was the essence of the message at the press conference.
Held in the House triangle of the Capitol Building, Republican Reps. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania, Mike Pence of Indiana, Chris Smith of New Jersey, Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, Trent Franks of Arizona, and Doug Lamborn of Colorado, participated.
They said the plan, which President Barack Obama favors and wants sent to him immediately, would require taxpayer-funding of abortions and insurance mandates unless amendments are adopted to make it abortion neutral.
“History has demonstrated that unless abortion is explicitly excluded in the bill, administrative agencies and the courts will mandate it,” Pitts said. “Abortion will be determined to be an essential benefit. Pro-life Americans will be forced to pay for plans that pay for abortion.”
Pitts said he would be offering amendments during the Energy and Commerce Committee markup of the tri-committee health care bill to make it abortion neutral.
“Obamacare is the abortion industry bailout act of 2009,” Smith added when he took his turn at the podium.
“In 2007 Mr. Obama told Planned Parenthood that reproductive care is essential care…make no mistake, when they use the words reproductive care, what they are talking about is abortion," he added.
Pence said it is essential that the final health care bill Congress produces reflects the values of Americans who don’t want their tax dollars used to pay for abortions.
"The legislation before the Congress today, at least in its current form, overrides the values of an overwhelming majority of Americans, who do now and have throughout the history following Roe v. Wade, always opposed taxpayer funding of abortions” he said.
As the pro-life lawmakers talked about keeping abortion out of health care, a top pro-abortion member of Congress said keeping it in is essential.
A spokesman for Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, a New York Democrat who is the chair of the House Rules Committee, said that to the Los Angeles Times.
"The starting point for Rep. Slaughter on the healthcare debate was protecting abortion rights," said Slaughter’s spokesman, Vincent Morris.
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, was dismayed by the comments.
"One member’s opinion may not radically affect the debate, but Slaughter is no ordinary member. As head of the House Rules Committee, she has the ability to limit debate and set parameters for legislation, which could be to the liberals’ advantage as they fight to keep this new funding stream for abortion clinics," he said.
He said the abortion fight will grow as even pro-life Democrats take on the pro-abortion leadership of the party, which includes Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"One of the biggest sticking points between moderate and liberal Democrats continues to be taxpayer-funded abortion," he said.
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