Obama perpetuates abortion-not-in-healthcare myth
A couple of responses to that part of Obama’s speech tonight. First, from the National Right to Life Committee:
In his address to a joint session of Congress tonight, President Obama said, “One more misunderstanding I want to clear up – under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.”
Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the NRLC, commented: “Barack Obama needs to learn that the mere repetition of a verbal formula does not change reality. The reality is that the Obama-backed House bill would explicitly authorize the federal government insurance plan to pay for elective abortions and would explicitly authorize subsidies for private abortion insurance – and all with federal dollars, which are the only kind of dollars that the federal government can spend.”…
The NRLC last week released definitive memoranda that demonstrate that (1) the “Hyde Amendment” would not apply to the new programs that would be created by the Obama-backed health bill, H.R. 3200, and (2) that all of the funds that would be spent on elective abortions under the bill, and all of the funds that would be spent to subsidize private insurance plans that cover abortion, would be “federal funds” in both the legal sense and in the sense in which those terms are used throughout the government.
“The claim that a federal agency would be spending private funds on abortion, not federal funds, is absurd on its face, a political hoax,” Johnson said.
Go to 1:35 on this clip to hear Obama tonight deny that abortion is included in the healthcare plans (and go to 1:15 to hear the “illegal immigrants” line ending with “You lie!” by Rep. Joe Wilson):
A congressional staffer sent me this:
Regarding funding for abortion, Obama’s statement does nothing to resolve pro-life opposition to the bill unless it is backed by clear language like the Stupak/Pitts amendment to permanently prohibit funding for abortion and federal subsidies for plans that include abortion.
Obama, Pelosi, and Reid have all endorsed the faulty claim that the Capps amendment included in… HR 3200 does not allow federally-funded abortion.
Yet that amendment explicitly permits government funding for abortion in the public plan and allows government subsidies to pay for private insurance coverage that includes abortion. If the President is referring to the Capps amendment, or something like it, his comment tonight will do nothing to change the debate.
Regarding conscience protections, it is noteworthy that he raises this point at the same time as his administration is in the process of repealing existing regulations to enforce conscience laws.
Note: it appears the President is proposing to replace the “affordability credits” to help people purchase health insurance with tax credits for the same purpose. Groups should be aware that some pro-life members of Congress have supported tax credits for health care coverage but also support explicitly excluding abortion funding through tax credits….
[Photo via the Associated Press]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Before Obama’s speech tonight I opposed his idea of health care reform because it included government-funded abortion. Now I also oppose his health care proposal because he told us most of the plan would be paid for by reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid.
Does he think we don’t realize that Medicare and Medicaid are government insurance programs?!? He expects us to say yes to ANOTHER government insurance program (universal health care) because it won’t cost us a cent (sorry, make that a dime) since it’ll be paid for by the savings derived from eliminating waste from our current government insurance programs.
Hey, if we’re real lucky, the new universal health care program will be as inefficient as Medicare and Medicaid; then we can reform our universal health care program and use those savings to eliminate global warming (health insurance for planet Earth)!
I thought this was interesting… It is all in how he words things. No, maybe he wont require you to change insurance in the language of the bill, but if this lets companies who would normally offer benefits drop coverage how does that help?
I definitely do NOT want to use public insurance but if my or my husband has coverage dropped by our companies I will have no choice – therefore I WILL be required to change.
I got this off of Yahoo News so I would not say it is conservative leaning…
OBAMA: “Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.”
THE FACTS: That’s correct, as far as it goes. But neither can the plan guarantee that people can keep their current coverage. Employers sponsor coverage for most families, and they’d be free to change their health plans in ways that workers may not like, or drop insurance altogether. The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the health care bill written by House Democrats and said that by 2016 some 3 million people who now have employer-based care would lose it because their employers would decide to stop offering it.
In the past Obama repeatedly said, “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period.” Now he’s stopping short of that unconditional guarantee by saying nothing in the plan “requires” any change.
Barry is going to get rid of “waste and inefficiency”? Democrats invented that.
And while I don’t agre with that Rep who called out “liar” or “lies” whichever it was…. I thought it was just as inappropriate for him to call his critics “liars” which I dont think any other POTUS has ever done in a speech to Congress before.
While he didnt mention Palin by name, it was quite obvious who he was referring to.
With or without health care reform there is no gurantee you will be able to keep your current plan and doctor. Businesses change plans and providers add into and drop out of plans ALL the time. A public OPTION is just that an OPTION for those of us who are working, contributing members to this society and can’t afford health insurance. And what happens if you get LAYED OFF. We are still in a down economy you know. Soooooo I guess you wanna pay anywhere from $400 – $1000 a month for cobra. Oh yea… that’s a plan.
Why so cynical re: The abortion and immigrant issue. There is currently NO plan. There are ideas. He realizes folks wont support a plan with those things so they wont be included. Unlike our previous POTUS he is a SMART man, he is NOT a liar (i.e. weapons of mass destruction) and his intent is to help not hurt our country and its citizens. Stop believing the BS people!!
Obama lied about being against government funding of abortion in his health care plan????? Does anybody really this coming from a partial-birth-abortion, planned parenthood backing, fundraiser for stabbing babies in their heads while they are being delivered, born-alive but kill em cause theyre a burden, against parental motification of abortion in Illinois, pro-abort agenda driven freak?
Obama lied about being against government funding of abortion in his health care plan????? Do just a few more people see through his facade when they hear this coming from a partial-birth-abortion, planned parenthood backing, fundraiser for stabbing babies in their heads while they are being delivered, born-alive but kill em cause theyre a burden, against parental motification of abortion in Illinois, pro-abort agenda driven politician?
With or without health care reform there is no gurantee you will be able to keep your current plan and doctor. Businesses change plans and providers add into and drop out of plans ALL the time. A public OPTION is just that an OPTION for those of us who are working, contributing members to this society and can’t afford health insurance. And what happens if you get LAYED OFF. We are still in a down economy you know. Soooooo I guess you wanna pay anywhere from $400 – $1000 a month for cobra. Oh yea… that’s a plan.
Posted by: nicole at September 9, 2009 11:56 PM
I got LAYED OFF last September. And I am not talking about companies changing plans- as you call it drop into and out of plans. I am talking about companies who would no longer offer insurance because of a public option. The Congressional Budget Office is the one who did the analysis of the plan – they are the ones saying that companies will drop coverage all together. So I will have to use a public (required) option – because Obama also wants to mandate coverage for people, something he criticized Hillary for saying in the primaries – and be forced to use a government that would say no dice to care for a multitude of things that private insurance would cover. (i.e. a triple bypass for a 70 year old – ask Canada.)
Talk about believing the BS – take a look in the mirror honey.
My mom watched this speech, is no fan of Obama and told me he said no abortion funding. I told her he was LYING.
Did he even say the A word??
If you don’t mention it, it simply is not happening, right??
Still not drinking the kool-aid.
Posted by: LizFromNebraska at September 10, 2009 8:23 AM
Maybe you can remind your mom he also said he would not use public funding for his campaign – yet he did. Was he NOT lying then as well?
How about those penalty free hardship withdrawals from your 401K he promised? Guess he wasn’t lying then too.
Or the $3,000 tax credit to companies for EACH full time employee they add – let me know when she finds that in the Stimulus.
Oh the list can go on and on….but he NEVER lies.
‘Why so cynical re: The abortion and immigrant issue. There is currently NO plan. There are ideas. He realizes folks wont support a plan with those things so they wont be included. ”
Nicole,
If Obama grants amnesty to illegal immigrants they could then be covered – then his statement will prove to be true. (I believe it was Mark Levin who suggested this could happen, but I’m not positive it was him.)
There’s the House bill 3200 which has over 1000 pages of “ideas”. How many Dems have read HB 3200? The MSM hasn’t and they are only “guessing” at what’s in it.
No, Janet, they won’t need amnesty. The bill doesn’t require identification or proof of citizenship in any form to apply.
That’s why Joe Wilson called the president a liar. He IS a liar. He and the entire democrat party are a bunch of liars and thieves. They don’t include items in the bill specifically so that they can deny the bill having said components, but when ANY provision is created which would specifically eliminate whatever aspect of the bill the democrats vehemently deny is in there, they fight it tooth and nail so that they can continue SAYING that it’s not in there while still expecting to actually be able to treat it like it IS in there. They are deceitful scumbags, and I’d sooner vote for one of the girls from Rock of Love than any one of the democRATS. At least the Rock of Love chicks are honest about how slimy THEY are.
Posted by: xalisae at September 11, 2009 7:57 AM
I just got in a fight on FB with someone about this. Of course I KNEW what they were going to come back with and, sure enough, it was that it never would have happened if Obama wasn’t black.
I dont know, it happened PLENTY to Alan Keyes – who I voted for – and he is black on BOTH sides.
I expect to be removed from her friend list in the next day or two. LOL!