Morning Bell: Obamacare Forces You to Fund Abortions
Posted October 15th, 2009 at 9.08am in Health Care.
This Morning Bell is the fourth in a five-part week-long series on how Obamacare will affect you.
“Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions,” Or so President Barack Obama promised to the American people in his health care address before a Joint Session of Congress on September 9th. But then why did the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops send a letter to Congress on October 8th writing: “No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. … No current bill meets this test”?
Who is telling the truth? The President or the Bishops? Last Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked this question during his daily press briefing and answered: “Well, I don’t want to get me in trouble at church, but I would mention there’s a law that precludes the use of federal funds for abortion that isn’t going to be changed in these health care bills.” Unsatisfied, the CNS News’ Fred Lucas again pressed on Friday:
The Catholic bishops have repeatedly said that the Hyde amendment would not apply to the health care bill and yesterday in the letter that they sent to Congress they said that if language expressly prohibiting abortion funding is not added to the health care bill, they will vigorously — “vigorously oppose” — that’s a quote — the bill. My question on that, does the President support the bishops on this?
Gibbs replied:
My answer isn’t different than it was on Wednesday. There may be a legal interpretation that has been lost here, but there’s a fairly clear federal law prohibiting the federal use of money for abortion. I think it is — again, it’s exceedingly clear in the law.
How to put this politely … it is safe to say that Gibbs’ above statement is less than true. The next time anyone tries to convince you otherwise, that the White House is telling the truth ask them where exactly in the Federal Code it says this. The truth is…it doesn’t.
But what about the Hyde amendment mentioned by the White House reporter? Is the Hyde amendment not the law of the land? No, it is not even a statute. First passed in 1976 by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) as a rider to the Health and Human Services appropriations bill, the Hyde amendment must be passed again every year as part of the HHS appropriations bill and even then it only applies to current HHS programs. The Hyde amendment would do nothing to stop Obamacare from funding abortions and all the versions of Obamacare passed by Congressional committees so far do exactly that.
Conservatives introduced amendments in all five committee markups (three in the House and two in the Senate) that would have specifically prohibited federal funds from being used to cover abortion. None of them passed. Worse, the “compromise” the White House has adopted is an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) who has a 100% pro-abortion voting record according to the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Not only does the Capps amendment allow for federal money to subsidize abortions in private plans and mandate federal funding for abortions in the public option (this according to FactCheck.org), it also requires that at least one insurance plan cover abortion in every geographical region in the country.
In 2007, then candidate Barack Obama promised Planned Parenthood: “We’re gonna set up a public plan that all persons and all women can access if they don’t have health insurance. It will be a plan that will provide all essential services including reproductive services. … We will also subsidize those who choose to stay in the private insurance market, except, the insurers are going to have to abide by the same rules in terms of providing comprehensive care including reproductive care.” A Rasmussen poll released last month showed that only 13% of Americans want the health-care reform bill to use tax dollars to fund abortions, clearly demonstrating that even most pro-choice believers do not favor taxpayer funded abortions. A Pew Research Center poll two weeks ago showed that support for legalized abortion has dropped to its lowest level in years to 47%, down from 54% last year. Obama can either please NARAL and Planned Parenthood or he can honor the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Americans. He can’t do both.
Quick Hits:
- Another study, this time by Oliver Wyman Inc., found that health insurance premiums will rise up to 50% for individuals and 19% for group plans if Obamacare passes.
- Even without Obamacare, existing cuts by Congress and regulatory action by the Administration will cause the Medicare Advantage premiums paid by seniors to rise by an average of 25% next year.
- According to CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, cap and trade will slow the nation’s economic growth and cause “significant” job losses over the next few decades.
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) general counsel, and Obama National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) nominee, Craig Becker is refusing to recant a 1993 law review article outlining how the NLRB could rewrite the nation’s labor laws in favor of big labor by regulatory fiat.
- Russia and the United States have tentatively agreed to a weapons inspection program that would allow Russians to visit nuclear sites in America to count missiles and warheads.
- Author: Conn Carroll
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October 15, 2009 Ozzy6900, CT writes:
The Obama Administration is following the preclude that a 1935 - 1938 Regime followed, step by step (if I mention the name of this Regime, my post will be deleted as others have been).
The first step is to create as much chaos and unrest as possible. Then totally screw up the economy while blaming the previous Regime thereby hiding your real intentions. Slowly take over private sectors one by one and convince everyone that you are trying to “help” them. Take over the health care system so you control the lives of your subjects and convince the elderly that they need to make room for the “Youth” as the “Youth” is the future of Society.
Once all of the above is accomplished, change the monetary system to instantly shift the wealth to whom you deem proper to have it (never your subjects). Institute Marshal Law to quell pockets of resistance and move your agenda swiftly to the final door. Walk through that door and enter the world of total dictatorship! Now invade whom you wish and force them into your wishes, don a cute little mustache and comb your hair forward. Add a dandy, well tailored uniform and viola! You have attained Fuhrership!
Am I kidding? Am I full of bunk? Look at the time line of that past Regime and look at the time line from the Clinton Administration to now and tell me I’m wrong! My Grandparents and Mother LIVED through this mess back in the ’30’s and told me the horror stories of how this all came to be. It is happening again but no one is paying attention!