Abortion is still in the healthcare bill. What are pro-lifers doing about it?

Not holding back, that’s for sure. If any of the current healthcare bills pass as proposed, it will be the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade, according to National Right to Life Committee.

Many pro-life groups have put the rest of their agendas on hold to focus solely on healthcare. Several organizations formed the Stop the Abortion Mandate coalition in the summer, which held a historical webcast with 19 pro-life leaders and over 36,000 activists. The Family Research Council built on that success and had another webcast a week later with over 70,000 participants.

CatholicVote’s action center CatholicAction parodied a Hollywood video/PSA that had celebrities endorsing current healthcare reform proposals. We just love the spirit of CatholicVote ads and the creative genius behind their work.

The Susan B. Anthony List created a great video to show that politicians are just hiding behind the Hyde Amendment when they say that abortion isn’t included in healthcare legislation. In reality, the Hyde Amendment, which has to be renewed every year, doesn’t even apply to healthcare funds, only Medicaid.

Americans United for Life president Charmaine Yoest has a great column in today’s Wall Street Journal entitled “Tax Dollars Shouldn’t Fund Abortion.” She talks about how current legislation would be breaking over 30 years worth of the government not funding elective abortion. Healthcare reform, as it stands, is a radical departure from the status quo.

AUL also released a fantastic short video calling out elected officials, including President Obama, for deceiving Americans on whether or not abortion is included in healthcare.

And Freedom2Care, the coalition of groups that want conscience protections for doctors who decline to perform or refer for abortions, are focusing on the point of view of healthcare professionals. Results from an online survey reveal startling news: 95% of faith-based physicians agreed, “I would rather stop practicing medicine altogether than be Dr. Sandy Christiansenforced to violate my conscience.”

 While current healthcare proposals would flood the already overloaded healthcare system in America with millions more patients, all the while forcing doctors to choose between their morals or their profession, how can President Obama possibly expect Americans to receive quality and timely care if his policies will force many doctors to quit?

 Several pro-life leaders all got on their webcams recently to show a united front against abortion coverage in healthcare reform. At such a crucial time in the history of our nation and in the fight to protect the unborn, these leaders are showing that we all must get involved and do it now.

What can you do? Contact your Member of Congress and tell you don’t want government dollars paying for abortions. Tell them abortion is not healthcare. And tell them you don’t want your doctor forced out of the practice of medicine.

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Action Needed to Stop Abortion Funding in Healthcare

Doug Johnson from National Right to Life gives an update on the status of healthcare legislation and abortion funding.

 

Take action now with these handy tools by Stop the Abortion Mandate. ACTION

The polls are on our side.  LifeNews reports.

AP Reports: Health care issues: Paying for abortions

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Gibbs Hasn’t Gotten the Memo

Gibbs photoAt the daily press briefing yesterday, Fred Lucas of CNSNews.com asked President Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, about abortion funding in healthcare reform:

Lucas: Thanks, Robert. It’s a question on health care, actually; two questions. First, in a letter to senators last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said that, quoting, “So far the health reform bills considered in the committee, including the new Senate Finance Committee bill, have not met the President’s challenge of barring the use of federal dollars for abortion.” Is that statement wrong?

MR. GIBBS: 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.

L:ucas: There have been, though, several amendments that would explicitly bar abortions, that would therefore reject it, some of those amendments by Democrats –

MR. GIBBS: Again, there’s a fairly well documented federal law that prevents it.

Gibbs is either blissfully ignorant or is outright being deceptive. There have been a slew of stories on how abortion is paid for through the current proposals of healthcare reform legislation.  The Associated Press, TIME Magazine, and FactCheck.org, just to name a few, have all confirmed the government will fund abortions and that the Hyde Amendment does not pertain to healthcare reform.

The Susan B. Anthony List explains how politicians, and now Obama’s main spokesman, are hiding behind the Hyde Amendment when asked about abortion funding in the healthcare bill through this short and humorous video.

And Stop the Abortion Mandate has a chart that clearly shows the Hyde Amendment only applies to funds allocated to Medicaid through the Health & Human Services Department, not through the new revenue stream that is created by the healthcare reform proposals.

And National Right to Life and LifeNews.com also clearly explain why Hyde does not pertain to healthcare reform.

Robert Gibbs needs to be truthful about the government funding abortions in healthcare. But then he’d have to face the huge majority of Americans who oppose funding abortion with government money.

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183 Members of Congress Sign Letter to Speaker Pelosi Urging Abortion Vote

183 Democrat and Republican Members of Congress signed a letter urging Speaker Pelosi to allow a vote on the pro-life amendment to be offered by Reps. Stupak and Pitts. The New York Times ran a story outlining the importance of the abortion issue in House consideration of health care reform. We thought you might be interested in the letter found here.

“Proposed healthcare reform legislation, H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, radically departs from the current federal government policy of not paying for elective abortion or subsidizing plans that cover abortion. None of the bill reported out of the three committees of jurisdiction have addressed our serious concerns about public funding of abortion.”

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BEYOND ABORTION: Another Reason for Catholics to Oppose Government-Run Health Care

For good reason, most of the concern about the health care proposals coming out of congress is directed toward the attempts to hide provisions for taxpayer funded abortions in the language of the bill. This, and also the fear of assisted suicide provisions and the alleged possibility of “death panels,” certainly needs to receive the most attention right now.

However, Catholics must not be lulled into thinking that these are the only reasons to oppose a government-run plan. Even if by some miracle the Senate Finance Committee adopts all of the amendments to fix language that leaves the possibility of publically funded abortion, there is still the issue of subsidiarity, and how a forced government option can, in principle, still run contrary to Church teaching. Unfortunately, many Catholics have no idea what subsidiarity is, and why it needs to be at the forefront of the current health care debate.

It is a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they [individuals] can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry.” – Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno

Though the term is probably foreign to most, the concept is common sense. In basic terms, subsidiarity holds that even though it may sometimes be necessary for higher levels of government to assume responsibilities previously held by lower levels, this comes with great risk to individual freedom and dignity, and can expose a society to greater corruption and tyranny. Therefore, a government-run “anything” should only be considered as an absolute last resort.

For an excellent primer on the concept of subsidiarity and how a Catholic should respond to the current health care debate, I highly recommend reading the joint letter composed by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Bishop Robert W. Finn (found here) After you read it, email it to your senator.  Tell them that you expect that any health care bill be formed using sound moral reasoning and based on the principles of subsidiarity.

Several other bishops and Catholic organizations have produced similar statements to help educate Catholics on these issues. Please check back often as we will try to highlight several of these as the debate continues in congress.  

Patrick Looby, Fredericksburg, VA

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Join Us in a Day of Prayer to Keep Abortion out of the Healthcare Bill

Prayer Alert – This week there is a very important vote in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.  They will be voting on amendments to keep abortion coverage out of Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-Mont.) health care bill.  Tomorrow also happens to be the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel our society’s patron. 

Please join us tomorrow in prayer to St. Michael asking him to intercede on behalf of the unborn to keep government funding of abortion out of any healthcare legislation.  Please pass this prayer request on so we can create a prayer chain calling on St. Michael to help us defend life in the Senate Finance Committee.  Thank you and God Bless You!

PRAYER TO  SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

A reminder that you can call your Senator via the US Capitol switchboard number; 202-224-3121. They will connect you to your Senator’s office.  Tell your Senator; No government funding of abortion in any healthcare bill.

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Action Alert – Bacus Bill Still has Abortion Funding

Catholic Action Alert - There are serious concerns about the Baucus Bill when it comes to abortion funding.  The Senate is about to debate this legislation and they need to hear from you.  Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life explains, “The bill contains provisions that would send massive federal subsidies directly to both private insurance plans and government-chartered cooperatives that pay for elective abortion,” 

Read more at American Principles Project

Here are the members of the Senate finance committee:

DEMOCRATS:

MAX BAUCUS, MT
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV
KENT CONRAD, ND
JEFF BINGAMAN, NM
JOHN F. KERRY, MA
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, AR
RON WYDEN, OR
CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY
DEBBIE STABENOW, MI
MARIA CANTWELL, WA
BILL NELSON, FL
ROBERT MENENDEZ, NJ
THOMAS CARPER, DE

REPUBLICANS:

CHUCK GRASSLEY, IA
ORRIN G. HATCH, UT
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME
JON KYL, AZ
JIM BUNNING, KY

MIKE CRAPO, ID PAT ROBERTS, KS JOHN ENSIGN, NV
MIKE ENZI, WY
JOHN CORNYN, TX

The US Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121. They will connect you to your Senator’s office.

The pro-life amendments being voted on soon are numbers 354, 355, 426, 427, 428 and 353.

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