Planned Parenthood Bashes GOP Pledge Promising No Tax-Funded Abortions
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 24, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The president of the Planned Parenthood abortion business is not happy about the new Pledge to America Republicans released yesterday. She issued a statement following the release of the document bashing it and griping because it calls for a ban on taxpayer funding of abortions.
“This is an extreme proposal that would use the federal tax code, including tax benefits, to end private health insurance coverage for abortion," Richards claims about the Pledge to America.
"As Americans learn about this radical proposal, they will reject this manipulation of the federal tax code to interfere in their personal lives," she promised.
But that doesn’t square will polling data — as virtually every survey taken of Americans on the issue of abortion funding finds them solidly opposed.
A January Quinnipiac University poll found 67 percent of Americans oppose funding abortions with government funds under the government-run health care bill pending in Congress.
That followed a November survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found 55% majority of Americans say that abortion should not be included.
A CNN poll showed 61 percent of Americans saying abortion funding should not be included and a International Communications Research survey from last September had 67 percent of those surveyed opposing taxpayer funding of abortions.
Still, Richards claims Republicans who oppose abortion and taxpayer funding of it will pay a price at the polls this November.
“The GOP Pledge comes at the same time that extreme Republican candidates across the country tout their opposition to abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, something that more than three-quarters of Americans support. The vast majority of Americans want government to stay out of the personal, private medical decisions that women and families make," she said.
The Planned Parenthood CEO added, "In the upcoming midterm elections, we urge Americans to reject extreme proposals, which would open the door to the government making decisions for women.”
Richards used some of the same language she did during the debate over the ObamaCare bill to oppose restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortions — claming the limits would somehow prevent women from paying for their own abortions or getting insurance coverage for them, even though similar limits like the Hyde Amendment have never prevented that.
The new Pledge to America also contains a promise to fight for conscience protections for medical professionals who don’t want to be involved in abortions.
"We will establish a government-wide prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion and subsidies for insurance coverage that includes abortion, this includes enacting into law what is known as the Hyde Amendment. We will also enact into law conscience protections for health care providers, including doctors, nurses, and hospitals," the document says.
The action plan includes a pledge to repeal and replace the recently enacted Obama health care law, which contains taxpayer funding of abortions that pro-life groups had to work overtime to stop in three states so far.
The document focuses primarily on economic issues with a reference in the "preamble" section to pro-life concerns.
"We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values," the document says.
When it comes to abortion, the Republican "Pledge to America" says "Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to using tax dollars to pay for abortion, and the executive order issued by President Obama in conjunction with congressional passage of the health care law is inadequate to ensure taxpayer funds are not used in this manner."
On ObamaCare, the health care bill President Barack Obama signed that funds abortions, the Pledge is also in line with the thoughts of pro-life advocates.
Republicans say they “will immediately take action to repeal” ObamaCare and will "offer a plan to repeal and replace the government takeover of health care with common-sense solutions focused on lowering costs and protecting American
jobs."
The Pledge is an updated version of the famous "Contract" pro-life former Speaker New Gingrich and Republicans unveiled in 1994 that led to a landslide over pro-abortion Democrats and pro-life Republican leaders re-taking Congress.
Several pro-life groups have indicated they appreciated the Pledge.
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