U.S. Senate Moves One Step Closer to Tax-Funded Abortions Within Health Care Reform

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 12 - 11 today to add a provision to the Kennedy health care bill that would require abortion groups such as Planned Parenthood to be included in any health insurance network created by the bill. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) was the only Democrat to oppose the provision.

"The Senate Democratic leadership's goal of universal abortion coverage at taxpayer expense has become apparent for all to see. Today, the Senate HELP Committee moved health care 'reform' one step closer to forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions for the first time in 30 years.

"It's ironic that Senator Mikulski (D-MD) and the committee Democrats would consider taxpayer-funded abortions to be a health care benefit since the baby gets no health care benefit from abortion. President Obama and the Democrat leadership claim they want to 'reduce' abortion, but you don't reduce abortion by funding it.

"When it comes to taxpayer funding of abortion, the Senate HELP Committee is out of step with the American people who according to polls consistently oppose the practice by more than a 2 to 1 margin.

"Family Research Council will continue its campaign for a permanent prohibition on taxpayer-funded abortions, and urge that conscience rights be preserved for doctors and nurses and other health care providers who refuse to perform or facilitate abortions.

"Outside the arena of health care reform, the Democratic leadership is quietly making the depth of its pro-abortion agenda clear. In the last week alone, working in other committees, House Democrats have restored taxpayer funding of abortion in the District of Columbia and Senate Democrats have moved to make international subsidies permanent for agencies that promote and provide abortions. The piecemeal deconstruciton of the wall of separation that has protected the American people from complicity in the national and international abortion trade, through their hardearned tax dollars, is accelerating every day."

Go to www.clearconsiencehealthcare.org for more information on FRC's campaign to stop taxpayer-funded abortions within any health care reform plan.