One of the big questions in Pennsylvania right now is whether state lawmakers will listen to the voice of the people and pass a measure that will allow the Keystone State to opt out of abortion funding in the insurance exchanges created by President Barack Obama’s health care law.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted last year found that 67 percent of the Americans surveyed opposed funding abortion with federal funds under so-called health care reform. With nearly 7 in 10 Americans objecting to this funding scheme, it would appear that public officials would be committing political suicide if they refused to fix the abortion funding problem in Obamacare.
And yet, pro-abortion forces are firing back. Planned Parenthood, facing allegations of turning a blind eye to human trafficking, and the Women’s Law Project have been claiming that the common sense Pennsylvania Senate Bill 3 would “imperil women,” as a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review headline screamed.
In actuality, all that the modest Senate Bill 3 would do is ensure that Pennsylvania is not forced into the abortion business as a result of the health care reform mess.
As Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Legislative Director Charlene Bashore was quoted as saying, “Congress said states have the right to opt out of abortion coverage and we want to ensure that for the state of Pennsylvania. All we’re saying is we don’t want taxpayer money used for abortions.”
The abortion lobby, in a curious public relations ploy, is claiming that, if women do not receive abortion coverage under health care reform, they’ll be pushed to go to low-cost abortionists who are of substandard “quality.”
Certainly, the grisly case of West Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who is charged with killing seven babies with scissors and murdering one mother, teaches a number of lessons. But the take-away should not be that the safety of abortion will only improve if the government pays for it.
The lessons are these: abortion is an inherently dangerous business, lethal for children and harmful for women. When state regulators play politics with abortion center regulation, women’s health and safety are sacrificed on the altar of political convenience. Roe v. Wade does not prevent back alley abortions—it enables them.
No amount of pro-abortion public relations savvy can cover up the bitter truth—the public should not be forced to subsidize a business that claims innocent human lives and wounds women. Public dollars should be spent on supporting life—not destroying it.
Action Item: Pennsylvania residents should contact their state Senators at 717-787-2121 and urge them to support Senate Bill 3. If you don’t know who your state Senator is, contact the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation at paprolife.org or by calling 717-541-0034.
LifeNews.com Note: Maria Vitale is an opinion columnist for LifeNews.com. She is the Public Relations Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and Vitale has written and reported for various broadcast and print media outlets, including National Public Radio, CBS Radio, and AP Radio.
