Pro-Life Amendments Defeated: Exposing The Lies

On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee’s vote of 10-13 to defeat the Hatch Amendment proved the pro-life community correct: The talk from the White House and the Congressional leadership of avoiding funding of abortions in health care is just that -- talk.

The amendment sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) would have explicitly prohibited federal funding and coverage of abortions. Also defeated by the committee was another amendment by Sen. Hatch that would have prevented discrimination against any individual or organization who refused to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.

So what does this mean? Since the start of the health care debate, including at a White House meeting last month, Americans United for Life Action has argued consistently that rhetorical assurances that abortion funding will not be included in health care reform are not enough. Rhetoric must be matched with action, with the addition in the bills of specific language prohibiting abortion. Since all five committees have rejected pro-life amendments which would ban abortion funding and coverage in health care, it is clear that we MUST keep questioning the gap between reality and the rhetorical assurances we are hearing from President Obama, Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi.

The AUL legal team has documented the facts behind their myth that the Hyde Amendment would adequately prevent federal funding and coverage of abortion in health care reform. AUL wants you to have the facts to make it easy to speak up.

Now that committee consideration of health care reform is over, the “behind the scenes” negotiations begin. At this crucial stage, the Congressional leadership is going to be negotiating backroom deals with our legislators. Be aware that the next page in the pro-abortion playbook will be that Pelosi and Reid are going to try to make a deal like the anti-life Capps Amendment approach, which we oppose. The anti-life Capps Amendment approach is not acceptable because for the first time in history, the federal government will require that there be a health insurance plan that covers abortion in every area. Furthermore, the anti-life Capps Amendment permits federal money to go to insurance plans that cover abortion.

I assure you, we are hearing that the “deals” being discussed by Congressional Leadership on Capitol Hill are merely anti-life initiatives in the guise of ‘compromise,’ such as the Capps Amendment approach, and this will NOT protect pro-lifers from subsidizing abortion in health care reform.

This is where you come in.

YOU need to tell your congressman and senator that you will ONLY accept health care reform that includes an explicit prohibition on federal funding and coverage of abortion, much like the pro-life Stupak-Pitts and Hatch amendments that were defeated in Committees.

Everyone's support is important during this extremely busy time as we work to show Congress and all Americans that “Real Health Care Respects Life”!

Understand the Abortion Mandate. You can print and send your friends this flowchart [PDF sheet] which demonstrates how the abortion mandate will work without an explicit, proactive exclusion of abortion from health care reform. Please let your friends know about these efforts to mandate taxpayer-funded abortions as a part of the current health care proposals.

The first Sunday in October is Respect Life Sunday. On this special day, please reflect with gratitude on God’s priceless gift of human life. While you are at church, you can help make a difference by printing and handing out several copies of AUL's flyer to help educate your friends and family that Real Health Care Respects Life!

AUL in the news and Related articles:

NY Times: BlogTalk: Public Option, ACORN and the Children

RedState.com: Reality Check: The Reality Behind the Rhetoric About Abortion in Health Care Reform (by Charmaine Yoest)

National Review: Health-Care and Abortion Funding Update