Heath Care Reform and Abortion
Pro-Life Groups Want Obama to Guarantee Abortion is Not in the Plan
Aug 27, 2009
Opponents of House Resolution 3200 and its companion bills argue that the health care reform proposals currently before Congress include federal money for abortions.
Proponents of the reform bills deny abortion is included. If abortion is included in the bills, the possibility is anathema to pro-life advocates.
A Voice of Protest
A group of pro-life activists is staging a series of protests in Massachusetts in Woods Hole and on Martha’s Vineyard. They hope to catch the eyes and ears of President Barack Obama, who is still vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard.
Chris Slattery is founder of Expectant Mother Care, the largest network of crisis pregnancy centres in the Eastern United States. He says that the purpose of his series of rallies is to send a message to the president.
“We’re trying to send a message to Obama and to proponents of the abortion mandate in the health care reform bill that Americans are not taking a vacation from trying to stop the health care reform proposals from insuring abortion coverage.”
Mr. Slattery adds that, “We will protest the inclusion of abortion high and low, in season and out.”
Mr. Slattery adds that even though the president continues to deny that abortion is a part of health care reform, federal funding for abortion is in the bill.
Opponents of the current house measure say that HR 3200, Sections 123, 142 and 142 allow for health benefits advisory committees and a Health Choices Commissioner. Several pro-life groups believe these provisions are potential avenues to mandate abortion as an alternative health care measure.
The Problem
Another protester is Presbyterian pastor Pat Mahoney. He leads the Operation Rescue campaign called Abortion is Not Health Care. He says the American people don’t want federal money spent on abortions, “71-percent of the American public in a Zogby Poll last November said they do not want taxpayer money and public funds used for abortion.”
“That’s 71-percent,” he said again.
Rev. Mahoney thinks the Congress is out of tune with American’s concern about human rights and opposition to abortion, “Congressman Waxman and Speaker Pelosi are way to the left of most Americans.”
“You look at the polls on the health care reform proposal, 57-percent are not comfortable with the bill currently before Congress,” Mahoney added.
The Real Focus
Mr. Slattery believes the real issue is human rights and human dignity, “We just want the bill to respect life and human dignity. They say their whole purpose for health care reform is to guarantee every American the right to proper health care. But, you don’t respect life and dignity by promoting the killing of innocent children with taxpayer money.”
“There is a problem with the reasoning for putting money in the bill. Taxpayer money for abortions has been banned in America since 1974. The Hyde Amendment kept federal money from being used for abortion. Yes, there are fifteen states that have state money for abortions, states like New York and California.”
“But, there are 35 states that don’t have it. They don’t want it.”
One of the states that apparently doesn’t want funding for abortions is South Dakota. The Black Hills State passed a law in 2006 that required doctors to inform women that an abortion would indeed take a new human life.
The law has been challenged in court twice, and in a recent decision, Federal Judge Karen Shreier upheld the portion of the South Dakota law that requires a doctor to inform a woman considering an abortion that, “the abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being."
Pro-life groups applauded the South Dakota federal court ruling because it strengthened their cause.
Rev. Mahoney wants to keep the momentum going, “We’re here to send a message to President Obama. Stand for human rights; stand for social justice. Let’s ensure that not one penny of public money is not spent on abortion.”
“We have vigils and rallies planned. We have a demonstration in Washington on September 13-14th. There are more planned for the first part of October,” Rev. Mahoney said.
“If we continue to keep the pressure on, our leaders will eventually catch up with where the people are,” Rev. Mahoney said.
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