{"id":224,"date":"2009-09-16T09:51:50","date_gmt":"2009-09-16T09:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/09\/no-abortion-diversion-just-the.html"},"modified":"2009-09-16T09:51:50","modified_gmt":"2009-09-16T09:51:50","slug":"no-abortion-diversion-just-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/09\/no-abortion-diversion-just-the.html","title":{"rendered":"No Abortion Diversion, Just the Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barry, even as another health care plan is being introduced into Congress, there’s a continuing – and a very real – concern about the issue of abortion.<\/font><\/p>\n

Senators Michael Enzi of Wyoming and Charles Grassley of Iowa have expressed their concern to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus who is offering his own health care measure.  <\/span>Senators Enzi and Grassley are correctly concerned about the lack<\/i> of language in the bill.<\/font><\/p>\n

According to the New York Times report<\/a>: <\/font><\/p>\n

Mr. Enzi and Mr. Grassley also told Mr. Baucus that health legislation must include language affirmatively prohibiting the use of federal money to pay for abortion. The restriction, they said, should apply to any subsidies that help low-income people buy insurance. In addition, they said, health plans should not be obliged to provide abortion. Thus, they said, the bill should “include a conscience clause to protect entities from being required to contract with abortion providers.”<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And, now to the Capps Amendment. Barry, those who advocate for federal funding of abortion probably do consider the Capps Amendment to be “a brilliantly conceived resolution” as you called it.  <\/span>I, however, consider it to be an open door to federal funding of abortion, especially if the pro-abortion majority in Congress scraps the Hyde Amendment.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>Under the Capps Amendment, the public option is required to cover abortion for which federal funding is permitted.  <\/span>Under the Capps Amendment, if the Hyde Amendment, which must be approved annually, is deleted, abortion will become a mandated benefit in the public option.  <\/span>Furthermore, the Capps Amendment insures that there is at least one plan that covers elective abortion in each rating area.  <\/span>It doesn’t, however, mandate that there be a plan that covers no abortion.  <\/span>Rather, it mandates that there be at least one plan that does not cover abortion for which federal funding is prohibited.  <\/span>This plan may or may not include abortions for which public funding is permitted.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>With respect to the federal funding of abortion under the Capps Amendment, the Amendment attempts to set up accounting mechanisms to segregate federal funds from abortion payments; however, in practice, the federal government would be subsidizing plans that cover abortion.  <\/span>I don’t think that it is a “bizarre stretch” of the imagination to argue that giving federal funds to health care plans that include abortion services will constitute federal funding of abortion.  <\/span>Directly or indirectly, those funds free up other funds to pay for abortion services. <\/font><\/p>\n

Finally, if Members of Congress were serious about not mandating abortion coverage and not including federally funded abortions in the bill then they would have approved amendments in Committee that accomplished these goals.  <\/span>Instead, they voted down the amendments<\/a>. <\/font><\/p>\n

They also allowed the inclusion of provisions, such as the school-based health care provision<\/a>, that could provide funding for Planned Parenthood to operate clinics in and near our nation’s schools.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>It is also clear that President Obama’s health care plan does not have the support of most Americans.  <\/span>On the polling front, Rasmussen reports <\/a>that 45% of Americans favor his plan, while 52% are opposed.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>Even, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News reported <\/a>that President Obama’s speech to Congress last week was “no game-changer.”  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>And, the Washington Post\/ABC poll <\/a>conducted in the three days after<\/i> the President’s speech finds that a clear majority – 54% of Americans say the more they hear about President Obama’s health care plan, the less they like it.  <\/span>And, when it comes to how Americans view President Obama’s handling of health care, the disapproval numbers are up, and approval numbers continue to decline over the last five months.   <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>“comprehensive reproductive health care.”  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>I, however, could not vote for a bill, such as those being considered by Congress, that lack specific language prohibiting both the mandating of abortion coverage and the direct or indirect federal funding of abortion.<\/font><\/p>\n

To subscribe to “Lynn v. Sekulow” click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a>.<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barry, even as another health care plan is being introduced into Congress, there’s a continuing – and a very real – concern about the issue of abortion. Senators Michael Enzi of Wyoming and Charles Grassley of Iowa have expressed their concern to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus who is offering his own health care…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,217,123,172,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abortion","category-congress","category-health-care","category-president-barack-obama","category-pro-life-2","category-public-schools"],"yoast_head":"\nNo Abortion Diversion, Just the Facts - Lynn v. 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FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. 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