Obama's Speech: Abortion

Wisconsin Right to Life responds to Obama's health care speech last night, "Barack Obama Continues to Deceive in His Address to Congress."

Last night, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on the subject of health care reform. The legislation Obama is promoting would pay for elective abortions with government funds and provide huge government subsidies to purchase private insurance plans that would cover elective abortions.

"Of course, Obama didn't say that last night," said Susan Armacost, Legislative Director of Wisconsin Right to Life. "Instead he said 'One more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.'"

For weeks, Obama has been manipulating the media into reporting a number of outright falsehoods. For example, many journalists have been convinced by the White House that House Democrats added the Capps Amendment to their legislation (H.R. 3200) so that the proposed government-run insurance program would be paying for elective abortions with "private funds," a claim that is a complete fabrication.

The reality is the public plan would be an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), part of the federal Executive Branch. Once the agency collects "premiums" from those enrolled, they would be as much "federal funds" as any funds collected by the IRS. Under the Capps amendment, abortionists would send their bills to DHHS and receive payment checks drawn on a federal Treasury account. It is impossible for a federal agency to expend "private funds." This is government funding of elective abortion, pure and simple.

H.R. 3200 and the Capps Amendment also wreaks havoc with private insurance plans by explicitly authorizing the proposed government premium subsidies to go to private insurance plans that cover elective abortions. These government subsidies would be federal funds that would flow directly from the federal Treasury to the insurers. No matter how Obama spins it, these are federal taxpayer dollars!

Another deception being perpetuated by Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders is that the pending legislation would not result in government funding of abortion because the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funding of abortion. But the Hyde Amendment is not a government-wide law - it applies only to Medicaid funds appropriated through the annual appropriations bill that funds the DHHS. None of the funds that would be expended by the public plan, and none of the funds that will subsidize the purchase of private insurance plans, will ever flow through an HHS appropriations bill. Thus, none of the funds in these health care plans will be covered by the Hyde Amendment.

"It is important to keep in mind that throughout his career as a Illinois state senator, Barack Obama consistently opposed all limitations on government funding of elective abortion," said Armacost.

During his presidential campaign, Obama expressed strong opposition to the Hyde Amendment. Some segments of the media have reported that Obama endorsed the concept that the government should not fund abortion during an interview with Katie Couric that was broadcast on July 21. But Obama said no such thing! Instead, he said, "we also have a tradition of, in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of government funded health care."

As Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee observed, "He did not endorse the "tradition." While it is true there is such a tradition, it is a tradition that Obama has always opposed and the health care reform bills he is promoting would shatter that tradition."

Read Sue Armacost's post on Life Voice Blog.

Get the facts on Obama's health care plan at No2Obamacare.com.