Missouri Now 5th to Stop Abortion $ Under Health Care Law, OKs Ultrasound

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jul 14, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Missouri Now 5th to Stop Abortion $ Under Health Care Law, OKs Ultrasound

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 14
, 2010

Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) — Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, who supports abortion, allowed a bill to become law without his signature that makes the state the fifth to opt out of some of the abortion funding in the national health care law President Barack Obama signed — and that now officially allows abortion funding.

The bill also will provide women the ability to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion is done.

The measure also gives women considering abortions 24 hours to reflect on the ultrasound and information they would receive on fetal development.

The full House voted 113-37 in favor of the legislation on its side after the Senate voted 26-5 — meaning the legislature likely had enough votes to override a Nixon veto.

Governor Bobby Jindal made Louisiana the fourth to opt out, following Arizona, Mississippi and Tennessee.

When Congress passed the government-run health care bill, it did so without any limits on abortion funding and language mandating taxpayer financing of abortion in certain circumstances.

Obama eventually issued a controversial executive order supposedly taking the abortion funding issue off the table.

However, virtually every pro-life group said it would not mitigate the abortion funding because it doesn’t have the effect of law, could be reversed in the future, and because it didn’t tackle much of the abortion funding in the bill. The Obama administration could also ignore the order and not put it in place when the health care law goes into effect.

Under the new health care law, states will be in charge of their own health care exchanges that are available for individuals and small businesses. The bill will keep any insurance plans on the Louisiana exchange from offering abortion coverage.

The exchange doesn’t go into effect until 2014 and states are filing lawsuits seeking to stop the pro-abortion health care bill in its other pro-abortion provisions entirety, but states are moving now to exercise their right to opt out of some of the abortion funding.

Joe Ortwerth of the Missouri Family Policy Council informed LifeNews.com of Nixon’s decision and said he is pleased by the news.

"This is a monumental victory for women and children in Missouri. For the first time since Roe v. Wade, women entering abortion clinics in our state will be told the truth about abortion and what it means to them and their unborn child," he said.

"The new informed consent law ensures that abortion-minded women are advised of the immediate and long-term risks of abortion to their physical and mental health. Women will also be informed of the humanity of their preborn child, and given the opportunity to see an ultrasound and hear the heartbeat of that child," Ortwerth explained.
Because of the health care opt out section, Ortwerth said health insurance policies sold in Missouri through federally subsidized health insurance exchanges will not be allowed to cover abortions.

"As a result, Missourians will not be required to underwrite the destruction of unborn children in our state through their taxes or their health insurance premiums," he said. "This is the most significant piece of pro-life legislation to become law in Missouri in nearly 25 years."

The Missouri Catholic Conference, Missouri Right to Life and other pro-life groups supported the bill.

Related web sites
Missouri Family Policy Council – https://missourifamily.org
Missouri Right to Life – https://www.missourilife.org
Missouri Legislature – https://www.moga.mo.gov

 

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