Taking Abortion out of ObamaCare

As you will recall, despite a strenuous outcry by the American People, ObamaCare was enacted without sufficient prohibitions on federal funding for abortion. This funding of abortion through insurance plans, community health centers and other programs created by ObamaCare could have been avoided, but the amendment to ensure these protections was ultimately left out of the final package. This occurred after the President promised a near-meaningless Executive Order, and after several Members of the House and Senate – most infamously Senator Ben Nelson and Congressman Bart Stupak – were convinced to abandon their call for strong pro-life protections. The result is widespread taxpayer subsidies for abortion through ObamaCare – essentially a bailout for the abortion industry.

However, the pro-life majority in the U.S .House of Representatives is again attempting to ensure that every taxpayer is not forced to fund abortion through ObamaCare. This week, the House will vote on H.R. 358, the Protect Life Act, which is sponsored by Congressman Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-IL). H.R. 358 would thoroughly prevent any funding of abortion through ObamaCare, including both subsidies of insurance plans that cover abortion and funding through all other programs authorized by ObamaCare.

Additionally, H.R. 358 would provide conscience protection for providers who decline to participate in abortions by mandating that they not be discriminated against because of that stance.

This vote is important for a number of reasons, beginning of course with the fact that it’s the first step to protect innocent life under ObamaCare. However, it’s also an important vote for the purpose of giving Americans clarity on this debate of abortion funding. Opponents of this language have long stated that ObamaCare does not fund abortion. If that were true, the language of H.R. 358 would be merely redundant and they should have no problem voting for it. However, when they go to the Floor of the U.S. House later this week to vehemently oppose H.R. 358, they will not only be voting for massive taxpayer subsidies of abortion under Obmacare, but they will also be acknowledging what they’ve denied for so long – that abortion is a huge part of ObamaCare.

The ACLJ calls on both the House and the Senate to pass H.R. 358 to at least ensure that the massive new healthcare scheme does not include taxpayer funding of something that a vast majority of Americans don’t want to pay for.

As we fight to strike down ObamaCare in federal court, where the Supreme Court will ultimately decide its constitutionality, we will also continue fighting to ensure that its provisions that require taxpayer funding for the destruction of human life are repealed.

We’ll be sure to keep you posted on the outcome of this week’s critical vote. It must be just the first step in a long process of making sure the pre-born are not targeted by ObamaCare. We are anticipating a number of hostile amendments, intended merely to distract from the issue at hand. These efforts should be defeated and H.R. 358 should be approved.

10.12.2011 Update: President Obama is once again showing that he is the most pro-abortion President our nation has ever seen, now threatening to veto this critical piece of pro-life legislation. Please contact your Member of Congress today, and urge them to support the Protect Life Act, H.R. 358, when it comes up for a vote on Thursday.