| Politics

Let’s be clear: anti-life politicians, with obdurate persistence, are committed to funding abortions with tax-payer dollars.

GLADE PARK, Colorado (Catholic Online) - On October 8, 2009, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sent a letter to Congress expressing their disappointment that progress had not been made in protecting the sanctity of life in the proposed health care reform bill.The Bishops urged Congress to:

"Exclude mandated coverage for abortion, and incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights. No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. It is essential that the legislation clearly apply to this new program longstanding and widely supported federal restrictions on abortion funding and mandates, and protections for rights of conscience. No current bill meets this test" (usccb.org/sdwp/national/2009-10-08-healthcare-letter-congress.pdf).

Congress continues to ignore our Bishops. In a blatant display of disregard for the lives of the unborn our political leaders have repeatedly struck down amendments to the health care reform bill which would limit or prevent federal funding of abortions. The National Right to Life Committee (nrlc.org) reports that "In four congressional committees, pro-abortion Democratic committee chairmen and majorities, allied with the White House, rejected amendments to keep elective abortion out of the ‘public plan’ and to prevent federal subsidies from going to private plans that cover elective abortion."

The bills before congress fail to meet the nonnegotiable obligation to protect the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Rather than protect our children who have a basic right to health care – which certainly includes the right to life – Congress has, time and again, insisted on advancing the morally bankrupt legalized "right" to abortion, which is the intentional killing of our precious, innocent children. Further, with pernicious aspirations to expand their attack on life, these same politicians intend to force Americans to pay for the barbaric deeds of abortion.

We hear statements from politicians who insist that the "Hyde Amendment" law already prohibits federal funding of abortions; therefore there is no need to be concerned whether federal funding of abortions would occur in the proposed "public option" plan. However, under HR 3200, private plans that cover elective abortions would be federally subsidized. Even the Associated Press reported on August 5, 2009, that the Hyde Amendment "applies the [abortion] restrictions to Medicaid . . . [But] The health overhaul would create a stream of federal funding not covered by the restrictions." FactCheck.org also confirmed the claim that HR 3200 would authorize the government plan to cover elective abortions (see factcheck.org/2009/08/abortion-which-side-is-fabricating). The Hyde Amendment will not prevent federal funding of abortions in the proposed "public option" plan.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), notes that language on page 110 of the new bill (H.R. 3962) explicitly authorizes the "public health insurance option" to pay for all elective abortions. Johnson further noted that "The public plan will be a federal agency program, and all funds spent by the agency are federal funds." Addressing the deceitful tactics employed by pro-abortion politicians, Johnson said, "Prominent Democrats who have claimed that the federal government could pay for abortion with 'private' funds have been engaged in a big snow job -- and in swallowing such a contrived, implausible claim, many journalists have been all too gullible."

Let’s be clear: pro-abortion politicians, with obdurate persistence, are committed to funding abortions with tax-payer dollars; they are aligned with Planned Parenthood, an abortion institution that is vehemently opposed to any restrictions limiting the intentional killing of the unborn; and they have consistently, throughout their terms in office, voted against protecting the lives of our young brethren. These public officials have every intent to publicly fund the death of God’s newly created. The proposed "public option" health care plan is the means these politicians will use in order to execute their agenda.

And what is this agenda? It is one which seeks to establish a new global ethic; one where the most heinous crimes imaginable are legal and publicly funded; one where killing innocent persons is elevated to a "right" which is, according to the adopted ideologies of its adherents, inviolable. It is a non-ethic ethic; one where freedom of an evil 'choice' trumps the fundamental first right to life. It's blatant, open immorality that, through the use of clever rhetoric and propaganda, is falsely characterized as "compassion", "freedom", and "women’s reproductive care".

It is important to mention that there are some admirable members of Congress such as Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) who are attempting to protect ...