We are hearing that after the Tuesday wins of two pro-life politicians, Bob McDonnell in Virginia and Chris Christie in New Jersey, abortion supporters in Congress are “really sweating.” This sets an entirely new context for the fight over keeping abortion out of health care.
Yesterday, the House Rules Committee announced that the “rule” for considering the health care legislation will include language put forward by Representative Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind. which the House leadership is falsely describing as “pro-life.” Rep. Ellsworth claims his Amendment would “prevent tax-payer funded abortions.” Unfortunately, that’s not true. By allowing the Ellsworth language, House Democratic leaders hope this so-called “compromise” will keep reluctant pro-life Democrats from voting against the final bill. But so far we’re hearing that these parliamentary shenanigans are too transparent to fool anyone.
Of course the false pro-life label is designed to give legislators cover back home. So we are working to get the word out to the grass roots. The Ellsworth Amendment allows the public option to pay for abortion on demand and allows government dollars to go to private plans that cover abortion. This amendment would undermine the only pro-life amendment that truly protects life in health care reform: the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. The Ellsworth Amendment would still allow the largest expansion of taxpayer-funded abortion in over 30 years. Americans United for Life’s legal team has legal analysis of the current pro-abortion House health bill H.R. 3962.
Our pro-life friends on the Hill are concerned that the pro-abortion House Leadership will deny the Stupak-Pitts Amendment a vote. But without that amendment, pro-life Members cannot vote for health care reform.
In order to stop unprecedented abortion funding in the guise of health care reform, we need everyone in pro-life America to contact Congress to prevent their tax dollars from going to abortion.
Dr. Charmaine Yoest is president and CEO of Americans United for Life Action (AULA). AUL Action is the legislative arm of AUL, the oldest national pro-life public policy organization in the country. AUL Action has a health care reform website located at REAL Health Care Respects Life.com.
Where does Stupak stand on the Ellsworth amendment?
bk Thursday, November 5th at 3:46PM EST (link)If my understanding is correct, he gave indications earlier that he wanted his amendment to come up for a vote. That implied to me that even if it lost on a floor vote that he might vote for the final bill.
But it seems they are blowing him off completely and doing an end around to try to pick off just a couple of moderate Democrats.
Pelosi can afford to lose a total of 40 pro-life and/or blue dog votes and still squeak by. She only needs a handful of defectors and that’s what she must be trying for.
IF abortion is in the Obamacare HORROR....
JadedByPolitics Thursday, November 5th at 5:56PM EST (link)WE must FIGHT in the courts to STOP it from becoming law! WE have some extremely fine lawyers that hang around here and I for one do NOT want the blood of the innocent on my hands with my tax dollars! I don’t like where a lot of my tax dollars go BUT I cannot live in good conscience with MURDER of INNOCENCE!
Whoever has his enemy at his mercy &
does not destroy him is his own enemy
forget the abortion
fedup1776 Friday, November 6th at 2:23PM EST (link)this bill needs to be aborted period….. this is the largest attempt to destroy our FREEDOM that has ever come to pass in the lifetime of America. do the blue dogs really care, dinner at the white house they were certainly told if they were to loss thier seat that a place for them would be created in one of the 111 bureaucracy’s that this bill would promote . i’m hearing they don’t have the votes to get it passed yet or it would already be on the floor but, if it was to clear the house and senate the courts would have to shoot it down. only problem, half the supreme court dosen’t believe in the constitution. this is truly sad times for the USA. Keep up the fight!!!!!!