Health Care Abortion?
Issue 139 - September 16, 2009
 The President's healthcare bill (H.R. 3200) passed by the House Energy & Commerce Committee risks a mandate whereby public insurance and private insurers pay for abortion using taxpayer dollars. This would represent a radical change in U.S. policy.
Here are the facts.
- From 1973 until 1976, abortions were federally funded using Medicaid funds. Since 1976 Congress has generally not funded abortions, in compliance with the Hyde Amendment. The President’s healthcare bill (H.R. 3200) makes no mention of abortion, but its absence of any language barring the use of federal funds for abortion procedures means that federal funds would likely be used for such procedures given the pro-abortion stances of the President and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Current legislation, the 1993 version of the Hyde Amendment, already requires federal funding of abortion in cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment.
- Surveys from The Polling Company, inc/WomanTrend confirm that the American people agree at a rate of 71% that federal funds should not be used to pay for abortions.
- With 1.2 million abortions each year in the United States, it is estimated that up to $600 million of taxpayer money could be spent on such procedures.
On February 26 Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced the Taxpayer’s Freedom of Conscience Act (HR 1233), which forbids the use of any taxpayer funds for abortion, both in the U.S. and overseas. The House leadership has not allowed a vote.
- As currently written H.R 3200 could mean that Catholic and various other religious hospitals would be forced to provide abortion procedures. Even 78% of pro-choice Americans agree that doctors should not be forced to participate in procedures to which they have moral objections.
- This issue has drawn serious concerns from both sides of the aisle. On June 25, twenty Democrats sent Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter demanding that any healthcare bill passed explicitly exclude abortion from any government plan or government-subsidized insurance plan.
- In July the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to the House Energy & Commerce Committee opposing H.R. 3200 because it could be used to mandate abortion coverage in private health plans, expand abortion funding and override state laws that limit or regulate abortion.
- Attempts in Congress to explicitly ban funding for abortion in this bill have all failed.
- Reps. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) introduced an amendment to the Energy and Commerce Committee that would have banned the procedure from receiving funding. However, it failed with a 30-29 vote. Attempts in the Education and Labor Committee and Ways and Means Committee to include such language also failed by votes of 19-29, and 18-23, respectively.
Any healthcare reform bill passed by Congress should explicitly not force private insurers to cover abortions and should exclude abortion from any government plan or government-subsidized insurance plan.
Edwin Meese, former Attorney General
James C. Dobson, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Focus on the Family
James C. Miller III, former Reagan Budget Director
Phyllis Schlafly, Founder & President, Eagle Forum
Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America
Gary Bauer, President, American Values
Alfred Regnery, Publisher, American Spectator
Marion Edwyn Harrison, President, Free Congress Foundation
Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director, Students for Life of America
Richard Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List
Kenneth Blackwell, former Treasurer, State of Ohio
Matthew D. Staver, Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
David McIntosh, former Member of Congress, Indiana
Brent Bozell, President, Media Research Center
(All organizations listed are for identification purposes only)
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