10 Democrats Who Oppose Abortion Rights Send Letter Criticizing National Right To Life Committee's Neutrality On SCHIP

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Abortion;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 18 Oct 2007 - 6:00 PDT

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Ten House Democrats who oppose abortion rights on Monday sent a letter to the National Right to Life Committee criticizing the group for its neutrality on a bill (HR 976) that would reauthorize the SCHIP, which provides health insurance for children from low-income families, The Hill reports (Young, The Hill, 10/17). The "reauthorization of the SCHIP program will contribute to reducing the number of abortions performed in the U.S.," the letter said, adding that "ensuring low-income, pregnant women and children have affordable health care is a key component to any sound policy approach for reducing the number of abortions in America" (Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) release, 10/15).

Bush earlier this month vetoed the legislation, which would have provided an additional $35 billion in funding for the program over the next five years and increased total SCHIP spending to $60 billion. The additional funding would have been paid for by a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the tobacco tax. An override vote in the House is scheduled for Thursday (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/16). The authors of the letter called on NRLC to "join with other pro-life organizations and pro-life members of Congress in supporting the bill's passage."

According to the Hill, NRLC had criticized lawmakers who voted for a version of the SCHIP legislation, saying that the measure included Medicare provisions that would lead to rationing of care and federal spending for euthanasia. Those provisions were eliminated in the bill Bush vetoed. NRLC said that the Democrats who wrote the letter misinterpreted the group's position on the Medicare issues and that the group does not have a stake in the legislation (The Hill, 10/17).

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NRLC legislative director Douglas Johnson said the group also is neutral on the bill because the House and Senate did not support an amendment that would have codified a Bush administration policy that considers fetuses and pregnant women eligible for insurance under SCHIP, CQ Today reports. "They had their chance to put something in there for the pro-life community, and they batted it down," Johnson said.

Ryan, who signed the letter, said NRLC has been neutral on the bill because of its support for the Republican Party. Ryan said, "They leave me with no other option to go to other than they're more interested in protecting President Bush than they are in protecting life" (Wayne, CQ Today, 10/16). Ryan added that if NRLC endorsed the legislation, it could lead to enough congressional support to override Bush's veto (The Hill, 10/17).

The letter is available online.

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