Abortion coverage a major sticking point
Charlie Butts and Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 11/20/2009 5:00:00 AM
The Senate version of the legislation is not inclusive of the House's Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which bans federal funds for abortions. Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, tells OneNewsNow this was done in spite of the fact that several polls indicate a wide majority of Americans do not want their tax dollars spent on abortion.
"And that's why the White House and many top congressional Democrats like [Senator] Harry Reid and [Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosi are trying so desperately to disguise what they're doing," Johnson explains. He says they are "trying to conceal these pro-abortion provisions behind layers of misleading, convoluted language and rhetoric."
The pro-life spokesman contends, however, that an informed public will not be misled.
"The bottom line is clear," states Johnson. "They would be creating a big, new federal insurance program, the so-called 'public option,' and they put language on page 118 of the bill that explicitly authorizes the federal secretary of Health and Human Services to cover all elective abortions in that new federal program."
Since movement in the Senate could take place soon, Johnson is urging individuals to contact their senators and ask that federal funds be barred for abortion. He is also advising people to contact House members because whatever emerges from the Senate will go back to the House.
Democratic disunity on abortion
A deepening rift in the Democratic Party has developed over the issue of taxpayer funding of abortion in healthcare reform legislation. Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, says her party is having a hard time finding unity on the matter.
"If we're serious about moving the healthcare reform bill forward, we're going to have to realize that we have pro-life Democrats within our party who feel very strongly that there should be no public funding of abortions," Day implores. (Listen to audio report)
"Obviously that's the case because the amendment passed with 64 Democrats supporting it," she continues. "So I think as we move forward, it's going to be a very delicate conversation within our party."
Day denies as false a recent CNN report that was quickly picked up by other news outlets claiming Democratic Senators Ben Nelson (Nebraska) and Bob Casey, Jr. (Pennsylvania) had dropped their support of the Stupak Amendment.
