Pro-abortion Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked a bill Thursday that would have permanently ended taxpayer-funded abortions. The vote was another indication that Democrats are beholden to abortion, despite polls showing that even a sizable percentage of Democrats oppose abortion.
The vote was 47-46 in favor of the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019,” but it needed 60 votes to end debate and move forward.
Senate Bill 109 would have established a permanent, government-wide prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortions. Similar policies, such as the Hyde Amendment, currently require annual passage and do not apply to Obamacare.
Despite strong public support for such legislation, just two Democrats voted in favor of the bill: U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, and Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania. Both have mixed pro-life voting records. All other Democrats voted no.
The bill needed 60 votes to invoke cloture (end a debate or filibuster), and proceed forward in the U.S. Senate.
Most Democrats vote with the wealthy abortion industry rather than for their constituents’ interests when it comes to the abortion issue.
Polls consistently show that most Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortions. A new national poll by Marist University found that a majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, while 39 percent support them. Similarly, a 2016 Politico/Harvard University poll found that just 36 percent of likely voters supported taxpayer funding for abortions, while 58 percent opposed it.
Three in four Americans (75 percent) say abortion should be limited to – at most – the first three months of pregnancy. This includes a majority of Democrats (60 percent). In addition, the survey found that three-quarters (75 percent) of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion abroad, fewer than two in 10 (19 percent) support such funding. Opposition to this funding includes a majority of Democrats (56 percent).
Despite the consistently strong opposition, it has been a key issue of abortion activists and the Democratic Party. In 2016, the Democratic National Committee approved a platform calling for full support of abortion for any reason up to birth and taxpayer funding of abortions, and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton campaigned on the issue.
SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you like this pro-life article, please help LifeNews.com with a donation!
The legislation would have:
- Prohibited funding for health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion with funds authorized or appropriated by Federal law;
- Prohibited abortion in federal health facilities (such as DOD and VA hospitals) and ensure that no federal employee provides abortion services in the course of their employment;
- Made permanent the provisions of the DC Hyde Amendment, or the Dornan Amendment, which clarifies that the federal provisions regarding abortion funding also apply to the government of the District of Columbia;
- Ensured that elective abortion is not deductible for tax purposes by amending Section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code; and
- Ensured that Affordable Care Act premium assistance subsidies provided in the form of refundable advanceable tax credits are not used to pay for health insurance plans that include abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
The legislation also included a provision championed by Sen. Pat Roberts requiring that all plans offered by Obamacare exchanges disclose whether a plan includes coverage of elective abortion procedures, as well as the abortion surcharge embedded into abortion-covering plans.
“Millions of Americans do not want to use their hard-earned money to cover abortion services,” said Roberts. “Currently, under Obamacare, many Americans unknowingly pay for abortion services covered under their health care plan. Our bill will permanently prohibit any taxpayer dollar from being used to pay for abortions and protect the rights for consumers to choose an insurance plan that is in line with their beliefs and values.”
