Obama Vows to Pass Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill, Poll Shows Americans Opposed
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 5, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday vowed to pass a government-run health care bill, although both of the proposals in the House and Senate currently require abortion funding. Despite his pledge, a new poll finds Americans don’t support how Obama is handling health care.
Obama in Indiana on Wednesday to revive grassroots support for his efforts to have government-run health care.
"I promise you, we will pass reform by the end of this year because the American people need it," Obama said. "We’re going to have to make it happen."
But the American people don’t want it, at least not in the fashion that Obama is attempting to get through Congress.
As other polls show Obama’s approval rating slipping to the lowest levels of his presidency, a new Quinnipiac University poll on Wednesday found 52 percent of voters disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care while just 39 percent approve.
That was a shift from 46 percent approval against 42 percent disapproval in a July 1 survey form the college’s polling institute.
Another 72 percent in the new poll say they don’t think Obama will be able to pay for the health care plan, which the Associated Press finally admitted today includes taxpayer-funding of abortion and insurance mandates for abortion.
The health care plans have been so unpopular in Congress that no republicans currently support them and many pro-life democrats are abandoning ship. In an interview today with MSNBC, Obama said he and pro-abortion Democrats may have to approve the government-run plan without conservatives and moderates.
"I think at some point, sometime in September, we’re just going to have to make an assessment," Obama said. "I would prefer Republicans working with us on that because I think it’s in the interest of everybody. That shouldn’t be a partisan issue."
Six members of the Senate Finance Committee, three Republicans and three Democrats, are meeting together today to resolve some of the differences on the bill. They are scheduled to meet with Obama at the White House on Thursday.
The new poll also found more people say the health care plan with hurt, rather than help, their health care. Some 36 percent said the legislation would hurt the quality of their care and 21 percent said they would expect an improvement. The poll found, by a 41-39 percent margin, Americans think the current plan will hurt the nation’s health care system.
It also found that Americans, by a 59 – 36 percent margin, say Congress should not pass health care reform if only Democratic members support it.
"President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress appear to be losing the public relations war over their plan to revamp the nation’s health care system," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the polling institute.
Support for Obama’s handling of health care is down among key groups with women disapproving 49 – 41 percent, voters 18-34 disapproving 48 – 44 percent and lower income voters disapproving 47-47 percent.
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