Obama Not Being 'Straight' With Voters On Abortion Coverage In Health Reform, Washington Times Editorial Says

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 25 Aug 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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A Washington Times editorial claims that President Obama "isn't being straight" with voters when he says the current health care reform proposals in Congress "don't provide government funding for abortion." The editorial says, "If Democratic plans are passed, your taxes will pay for abortions." During a conference call with religious leaders last week, Obama said, "'You've heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortion. Not true.'"

The editorial calls this Obama's "most demonstrably false statement." The editorial cites an Aug. 5 Associated Press article reporting that the Senate version of health reform legislation is "'still largely silent on the abortion issue.'" The editorial also claims that the House Energy and Commerce Committee's version (HB 3200) includes an amendment that "specifically provides for abortion coverage," the editorial says. According to the editorial, the amendment, sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), reads: "'Abortions for Which Public Funding Is Allowed. -- The services described in this subparagraph are abortions for which the expenditure of federal funds appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services is permitted ... .'"

"You can't get more explicit than that," the Times says. Although the amendment "includes all sorts of other language that provides a thin reed of deniability about the abortion-coverage mandate," it "absolutely requires that 'each premium rating area' include at least one plan that covers any abortion service -- and even all those 'private' plans will feature government-financed subsidies," the editorial states. Obama is "wrong to promote any plan that provides public subsidies for abortion," the editorial continues, concluding, "No amount of dissembling can cover up the repellent reality of what's in current health care legislation" (Washington Times, 8/24).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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