Taxpayer Funding Of Abortions Becomes A Reality

President Obama formerly called U.S. Bishops false witnesses for saying this would happen

The Obama administration officially approved tax-payer funded abortions under the new and highly controversial government-run health care program. The administration allotted 160 million taxpayer dollars to be funneled into the state of Pennsylvania in order to set up a "high-risk" insurance program under provision of the new federal health care legislation. Under Pennsylvania state law, the funds can be used for insurance plans that cover elective abortions.

DENVER, CO (Catholic Online) - Just eight days after the August 11 letter from the USCCB opposing the health care legislation proposed by federal bureaucrats, President Obama spoke to a religious audience on BlogTalkRadio. During the broadcast he said, "I know there's been a lot of misinformation in this [health care] debate. And there's some folks out there who are, frankly, bearing false witness.
  "You've heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortion," continued President Obama. "Not true. This is all - these are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation."  
Further, let us not forget President Obama's words during a September 9 speech on national television before a joint session of Congress: "One more misunderstanding I want to clear up - under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions."

Let us now fast-forward to the present. Recently, the Obama administration officially approved tax-payer funded abortions under the new and highly controversial government-run health care program. How so? The administration allotted 160 million taxpayer dollars to be funneled into the state of Pennsylvania in order to set up a "high-risk" insurance program under provision of the new federal health care legislation. Under Pennsylvania state law, the funds can be used for insurance plans that cover elective abortions.

LifeNews.com reported that the Obama administration "has quietly approved a plan submitted by an appointee of pro-abortion Governor Edward Rendell under which the new program will cover any abortion that is legal in Pennsylvania."

"The high-risk pool program is one of the new programs created by the sweeping health care legislation, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama signed into law on March 23. The law authorizes $5 billion in federal funds for the program, which will cover as many as 400,000 people when it is implemented nationwide."

Legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee Douglas Johnson observed that "The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million in federal tax funds, which we've discovered will pay for insurance plans that cover any legal abortion.

"This is just the first proof," continued Johnson, "of the phoniness of President Obama's assurances that federal funds would not subsidize abortion -- but it will not be the last.

"President Obama successfully opposed including language in the bill to prevent federal subsidies for abortions, and now the Administration is quietly advancing its abortion-expanding agenda through administrative decisions such as this, which they hope will escape broad public attention."

On June 28, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario, who is a member of the appointed cabinet of Governor Edward Rendell, issued a press release affirming that the federal Department of Health and Human Services had approved his agency's proposal for implementing the new "high-risk" program.

Ario stated in the press release that "the state will receive $160 million to set up the program, which will provide coverage to as many as 5,600 people between now and 2014. The plan's benefit package will include preventive care, physician services, diagnostic testing, hospitalization, mental health services, prescription medications and much more, with subsidized premiums of $283 a month."

NRLC's Douglas Johnson warned that "under the Rendell-Sebelius plan, federal funds will subsidize coverage of abortion performed for any reason, except sex selection. The Pennsylvania proposal conspicuously lacks language that would prevent funding of abortions performed as a method of birth control or for any other reason, except sex selection -- and the Obama Administration has now approved this."

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, observed that the program introduced in Pennsylvania, "while purporting not to fund 'elective' abortions, made clear in its text that all abortions that satisfy the requirements of certain Pennsylvania statutes would be covered, and reimbursed, with a combination of private premiums and federal funds drawn from the U.S. Treasury." It is important to note that abortions which satisfy the requirements of Pennsylvania statutes include all abortions which are not illegal in the same state.

As Catholics we cannot condone the intentional killing of unborn children. The Church has always, as a beacon of light and truth in opposition to what is often a militantly secularist world, labored against the grave evils of abortion. The unborn are our first neighbors, precious and innocent children who, residing in what should be the safe haven of their mother's womb, are in possession of the inviolable and God-given right to life. Abortion attacks such a fundamental right, and is a direct, barbaric and fatal strike against innocent human life, undermining the foundation of society at its near point of origin. Therefore Catholics cannot support the use of federal tax dollars for the purpose of funding elective abortions. As the U.S. bishops affirmed in their document Faithful Citizenship, abortion "must always be opposed."

Earlier this week, New Mexico also introduced a Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), which is a program that draws on federal funds in order to subsidize insurance plans for those who currently are uninsured due to pre-existing medical conditions.

In its original plan, the New Mexico program stated that it would cover elective abortions. According to a Catholic News Agency (CNA) article, "Critics alleged that the plans demonstrated the duplicity of those who supported the health care bill and the uselessness of Obama's executive order, which said that besides the exceptions outlined by the Hyde Amendment, the federal government would not fund abortions in community health centers or insurance exchanges."

In the wake of public outcry from Catholics and other Christians, as well as all people of good will, New Mexico turned on its heels and announced that the PCIP program would not cover elective abortions. The lesson in this is that we must watch closely, and hold anti-life adherents to the fires of justice, that our precious unborn might live out their life in the womb safe from surgical and chemical strikes.

On the evening of July 14, perhaps in an effort to cool the heated protests in favor of protecting our first neighbors in the womb, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a statement assuring that "in Pennsylvania and in all other states abortions will not be covered in the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan except in the cases of rape or incest, or where the life of the woman would be endangered." They also declared that their policy "is the same for both state and federally-run PCIP programs."

However, danger lies in the phrasing that abortions will not be covered "except in cases where the life of the woman would be endangered." For we are all familiar with the recent and widespread use of linguistic tools of deception concerning abortion. "Women's health care," and "women's reproductive care" are two examples of cleverly disguised phrasing that are often used for the purpose of concealing an anti-life agenda. We might ask, "Who will determine when a woman's life is in danger?" Those who fail to respect the sanctify of life? Those who see abortion as a "cure" for the "illness" of an "unplanned" pregnancy? And therein lies the problem. The fact is, is that with todays medical technology a woman's life is nearly never in danger due to pregnancy. If it ever is, the Christian is compelled to trust in God, and direct those medical professionals involved to provide care equally to each living person: both the mother and the unborn child.

Cardinal DiNardo welcomed the HHS statement, but wisely noted that the U.S. bishops were still "gravely concerned" because "it was not issued until after some states had announced that pro-abortion health plans were approved and had begun to enroll patients."

Cardinal DiNardo observed that the HHS statement, which only applies to PCIPs, "illustrates once again the need for Congress to enact legislation clearly stating once and for all that funds appropriated by PPACA will not pay for abortions or for insurance coverage that includes abortion."

We are not out of the woods yet. We can be sure anti-life adherents will continue to pursue their goals. Remain vigilant, committed and strong, but not silent.

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F. K. Bartels is a Catholic writer who knows his Catholic faith is one of the greatest gifts a man could ever have. He is managing editor of catholicpathways.com, and a contributing writer for Catholic Online.

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