No Taxpayer Funding For Abortions, Says Bipartisan Group

By Sam Wechsler - Talk Radio News Service

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200) must not include provisions for taxpayer-funded abortions, a bipartisan group of Congressmen led by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Penn.) said Wednesday morning.

Right now, it's unclear whether or not such provisions are included in the proposed health care plan. “Failure to explicitly exclude abortions under this health plan will mean that they will be included. That, of course, is a de facto mandate to have them,” said Rep. John Fleming (R-La.).

Rep. Mary Fallin (R-Okla.) said she asked President Obama to clarify his position on whether taxpayer money would be used to provide abortion care, but said she has yet to hear from him. On Wednesday, she called upon him once more at the news conference to come forward and specify his intentions.

Fleming stated that 51 percent of Americans are against abortions, and 69 percent are against taxpayer-funded abortions. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) complained that the proposed health care plan would do more to facilitate abortion than any government action since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case, despite the fact that the majority of Americans are against it.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said that he expects at least 39 House Democrats to vote against the bill if it does not explicitly exclude abortion from being funded by taxpayer dollars.“We cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government defined or subsidized health care plan,” said Stupak.

Pro-Choice activists celebrate 36 years of Roe v. Wade

National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL) Pro-Choice America met today to celebrate the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the 40th year since the organization's beginning. Acclaimed actress Ashley Judd was the mistress of ceremonies, with Cynthia Tucker, editor of the editorial page for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, as the keynote speaker.

The group celebrated the accomplishments of newly elected officials, with 7 newly elected pro-choice Senators, 21 new pro-choice House members, and pro-choice President Barack Obama. Another recent victory of the pro-choice movenment is Obama's revocation of the "global gag rule," which prevented US funds to overseas health clinics which provided abortion care.

However, Tucker noted the necessity of the pro-choice movement to remain strong, noting that Obama may remove family planning funding from his economic stimulus plan due to pro-life efforts. She stated optimism and continued determination: "We have a long road to travel in guaranteeing reproductive freedoms, but the good news is, we have the wind at our backs."

"The Pill Kills," says American Life League

The American Life League held a press conference to announce “Protest the Pill Day”, its effort to raise awareness of the birth control pill’s lethal effects. Dr. Marie Anderson, an OBGYN, said that the birth control pill induces a chemical abortion by thinning the uterine lining. She said that as a result, the five-to-seven-day-old baby dies because the lack nutrients prohibit it from attaching to the uterine wall. When asked about barrier methods of contraception, she said that they do not have harmful effects. But, she encourages natural family planning, including periodic abstinence.

Peggy Hamill, the state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, explained the significance of June 7th for “Protest the Pill Day.” On June 7, 1965, in the case of Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a law that criminalized the use of contraceptives. Hamill said that the ruling was the foundation for Roe v. Wade. She said that pro-life organizations around the country are planning protests against the birth control pill on June 7th.

Jim Sedlak, the vice president of the American Life League, said that the League has a broad base of support and will focus its efforts on raising awareness that the birth control pill kills babies in the first few days of life by preventing implantation.