The Obama Watch
Freedom of Conscience for Pro-Life Taxpayers
It’s threatened by the Obama health care plan.
Now that Barack Obama has decided to push for a hyper-partisan healthcare bill, the issue of taxpayer-funded abortions is front-and-center. The current proposals would lead to this taxpayer mandate, and could even drive conscientiously objecting doctors out of medicine.
The New York Times wrongly reported that Mr. Obama has decided to go it alone with Democrats in Congress, passing a bill without Republican support. That’s untrue. The decision they’re making is to pass a bill without any moderate Democrats — in other words, a bill of the Far Left.
The liberal officials and activists comprising the Far Left make perfectly clear that their highest social priority is abortion. More than same-sex marriage or gun control, abortion is their defining social issue. So legislation for Obamacare written exclusively by liberal Democrats will protect their agenda.
That means one thing: Obamacare will mandate taxpayer-funded abortions.
Ever since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has prevented most federal taxpayer dollars from funding abortions in America. The late pro-life stalwart, Congressman Henry Hyde, inserted the amendment (that must be renewed each time) into the law funding Medicaid to prevent taxpayer money from paying for Medicaid recipients’ abortions.
But the Obamacare proposals being debated would change that in one of two ways. First, if the legislation does not expressly refuse funding for abortion, then under normal rules of statutory interpretation it would be presumed that funds could be used for that purpose.
Second, Obamacare would eventually lead to abortion funding, even if it excluded it for several years. Once Obamacare is in place, it would fund healthcare at prices below what private insurers could offer. The government’s deficit each year would be paid by tax revenues. Insurance companies would either lose business because they were more expensive, or they would go into the red if they tried to compete at the same price. Either way, private insurers would go bankrupt, and everyone will be on the government plan.
Once the government plan was the sole source of money to healthcare providers, government protocols as to what conditions providers must meet to be eligible to receive federal money would directly dictate treatment decisions. (Obamacare could even exert that influence beforehand, because at some point it will be the single largest payer for every provider, money the provider couldn’t do without.)
This danger goes beyond forfeiting reimbursement for individual treatments. The federal government will have criteria that a provider must satisfy to be eligible for federal funds. The government would make abiding by its treatment protocols a condition to remain eligible. These protocols would include who gets what treatment, in what order patients are treated (this is government rationing), and providing abortions on demand. Violating these protocols would make that provider ineligible for funds.
Once Obamacare becomes the sole source of funds, becoming ineligible means going bankrupt. Distressed over losing their entire careers and aware of how their closure would cause more deaths and suffering by leaving people without care, most providers would rather cave on this narrow issue than close shop.
Talking heads on the Far Left openly say that they believe it’s okay for the government to yank someone’s medical license for refusing to perform abortions. Some, such as Alan Colmes on Fox News, said that this amounts to denying needed care to a person that the person is entitled to, and that it’s not wrong for a provider refusing to perform abortions to be shut down.
The reason they’re so militant on this issue is because the Far Left believes that taxpayer-funded abortions are a constitutional right. Everyone’s heard of Roe v. Wade. Fewer have heard of Harris v. McRae, where the Court held in 1980 that the right to an abortion does not include the right to force taxpayers to fund that abortion.
Most people don’t appreciate how close the Supreme Court is to simply declaring a right to taxpayer-funded abortions. Harris v. McRae was a 5-4 decision; four liberal justices wrote that everyone has such a right.
The current Supreme Court is likely only a single vote from overturning this decision, and declaring taxpayer funding to be commanded by the Constitution. Barack Obama may yet have the chance to change that balance on the Court.
So both legislatively and judicially, taxpayer-funded abortions teeters on a knife’s edge. Doctors’ rights of conscience, whether religious or otherwise, are in critical danger, and Americans should rally to doctors’ sides to stop this outrageous aspect of Obamacare from becoming law.
About the Author
Ken Blackwell, the former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio is Vice Chairman of the Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Club For Growth and the National Taxpayers Union.
About the Author
Ken Klukowski is a fellow with the American Civil Rights Union and is on faculty at Liberty University School of Law.
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Paul Bunyan| 8.24.09 @ 12:57PM
Abortion is an inexpensive optional medical procedure for irresponsible women -- and boys. Since they don't have a father available to kill the boy, girls have to do what they portray in Hollywood movies -- let the boy pay for it, if she even knows who the correct boy is.
Maybe next time they'll learn to exercise pregnancy control rather than birth control.
Abortion has become such a bad word in our society -- despite a biased media -- that they have to call it 'Women's Reproductive Services.'
Democrats were the party of slavery, segregation and now are the party of abortion. Someday after abortion is outlawed (or technology eliminates the need), our society will look upon this era with horror, in the same we look back upon slavery.
I understand 90% of abortions are performed in three cities: New York, LA and San Francisco and the majority is for young, single black girls. Isn't that where they teach children at a young age how to use condoms? As if boys and girls don't know how babies are made....
Jon B| 3.13.10 @ 6:21AM
Obama's restoring of funds for pregnancy prevention measures in the world's poorest countries reduced abortions by 10's of millions in the next 8 years. Republicans lie about the Mexico City Policy by falsely claiming it funds abortions, etc. It's been illegal for US $'s to fund abortions overseas since 1973, but we DO fund pregnancy prevention measures, emergency field birth kits, etc.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_wrld.htm
1993: Repeal of the funding ban: President Clinton felt that private, foreign organizations should be able to receive USAID funding for that part of their programs that involved pregnancy prevention, even though they used their funds raised elsewhere to finance abortions or to appeal for abortion reform. On 1993-JAN-22, his second day in office, he rescinded the executive order.
2001: Reinstatement of the funding ban: On 2001-JAN-22, during his first day in office, President George W. Bush reinstated the funding ban for family planning programs run by agencies that also provide abortion services out of their own funds. His rationale was somewhat confusing. He wrote to the U.S. Agency for International Development: "It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad." But no such funds have ever been granted. Existing legislation prevents foreign grants from being used to fund abortions or provide abortion counseling.
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0126-05.htm
January 26, 2001: Family planning research groups, such as the Alan Guttmacher Institute, last year said that if US funding levels were restored to the $540 million (from $425 million), the following would happen: Nearly 12 million more couples in developing countries would gain access to modern methods of contraception.
There would be 4.3 million fewer unintended pregnancies, 1.5 million fewer unintended births, 500,000 fewer miscarriages; 2.2 million fewer abortions each year; 8,000 fewer deaths from unsafe abortions, 7,000 fewer deaths from other causes related to pregnancy and 92,000 fewer deaths of infants.
Bush cut funding on 1-22-2001, then cut it some more in 2002, so it was roughly 1/2 or just over $200 million. However, some of it was restored because of his 2003 Africa/Aids program, which he didn't fully fund either. Bush cut aids funding completely in early 2001, and dropped another program in Congress (around $800K more) too. then restarted the program 2 years later promising roughly the same $ amount he prevented in the first place.
Palestinian Organs for sale| 8.24.09 @ 2:22PM
CHAPTER 1
HUMAN SACRIFICE
A SEMITIC TRADITION
IT is incontestable that the ancient "Semites" manifested a peculiar leaning towards the practice of bloody sacrifices to their gods.
Typical is the Jewish story of Abraham offering to slay with a knife his first-born, Isaac, as an offering to Yahweh who had commanded him so to do. More typical still is the Semitic idea that his god would require such a murder to be done.
In Excavations at Gezer, R. A. S. Macalister tells us that the bodies of sacrificed young children were
found in all semitic strata; this work describes the remains of these victims of which pictures are given.
Isaiah charges the Jews with "enflaming themselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks" (lvii, 5). There are many other Old Testament references to the practice of sacrificing children to Moloch.
Says the Rev. J. Kitto in the Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature 1895, "their altars smoked with human
blood from the time of Abraham to the fall of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel."
G. A. Dorsey writes in Civilization (Hamish Hamilton): "Historically their temple at Jerusalem, like a Hindu or Aztec temple, was a shambles--one sacrifice after another."
The Jewish Encyclopedia (1904, Vol. VIII, p. 653) says: "The fact, therefore, now generally accepted by critical scholars, is that in the last days of the kingdom human sacrifices were offered to Yhwh as King or Counsellor of the Nation and that the Prophets disapproved of it ...."
Jesus Himself speaking to the Pharisees (St. John, viii, 44) charges them with being hereditary murderers, which term can have no other meaning than ritual murderers. "Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he was a murderer from the beginning." This is in the Book on which "witnesses" are sworn when they give evidence against "anti-semites" who expose the murder of Christian children by Jews!
"Rabbinism was but an unfolding of Pharisaism, the full and swelling stream of corrupt doctrines, views and practices, of which the rivulets run up to the days of Christ and stretch back to those of Ezra until they are lost in the fountain-head, the Religious Philosophy of a debased Zoroastrianism." (Rev. J. Kitto, Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature.)
The trail of the tradition, then, is complete and leads to Rabbinism.
Organs for sale| 8.24.09 @ 2:23PM
CHAPTER 1
HUMAN SACRIFICE
A SEMITIC TRADITION
IT is incontestable that the ancient "Semites" manifested a peculiar leaning towards the practice of bloody sacrifices to their gods.
Typical is the Jewish story of Abraham offering to slay with a knife his first-born, Isaac, as an offering to Yahweh who had commanded him so to do. More typical still is the Semitic idea that his god would require such a murder to be done.
In Excavations at Gezer, R. A. S. Macalister tells us that the bodies of sacrificed young children were
found in all semitic strata; this work describes the remains of these victims of which pictures are given.
Isaiah charges the Jews with "enflaming themselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks" (lvii, 5). There are many other Old Testament references to the practice of sacrificing children to Moloch.
Says the Rev. J. Kitto in the Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature 1895, "their altars smoked with human
blood from the time of Abraham to the fall of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel."
G. A. Dorsey writes in Civilization (Hamish Hamilton): "Historically their temple at Jerusalem, like a Hindu or Aztec temple, was a shambles--one sacrifice after another."
The Jewish Encyclopedia (1904, Vol. VIII, p. 653) says: "The fact, therefore, now generally accepted by critical scholars, is that in the last days of the kingdom human sacrifices were offered to Yhwh as King or Counsellor of the Nation and that the Prophets disapproved of it ...."
Jesus Himself speaking to the Pharisees (St. John, viii, 44) charges them with being hereditary murderers, which term can have no other meaning than ritual murderers. "Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he was a murderer from the beginning." This is in the Book on which "witnesses" are sworn when they give evidence against "anti-semites" who expose the murder of Christian children by Jews!
"Rabbinism was but an unfolding of Pharisaism, the full and swelling stream of corrupt doctrines, views and practices, of which the rivulets run up to the days of Christ and stretch back to those of Ezra until they are lost in the fountain-head, the Religious Philosophy of a debased Zoroastrianism." (Rev. J. Kitto, Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature.)
The trail of the tradition, then, is complete and leads to Rabbinism.
palestinian Organs for sale| 8.24.09 @ 2:24PM
CHAPTER 1
HUMAN SACRIFICE
A SEMITIC TRADITION
IT is incontestable that the ancient "Semites" manifested a peculiar leaning towards the practice of bloody sacrifices to their gods.
Typical is the Jewish story of Abraham offering to slay with a knife his first-born, Isaac, as an offering to Yahweh who had commanded him so to do. More typical still is the Semitic idea that his god would require such a murder to be done.
In Excavations at Gezer, R. A. S. Macalister tells us that the bodies of sacrificed young children were
found in all semitic strata; this work describes the remains of these victims of which pictures are given.
Isaiah charges the Jews with "enflaming themselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks" (lvii, 5). There are many other Old Testament references to the practice of sacrificing children to Moloch.
Says the Rev. J. Kitto in the Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature 1895, "their altars smoked with human
blood from the time of Abraham to the fall of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel."
G. A. Dorsey writes in Civilization (Hamish Hamilton): "Historically their temple at Jerusalem, like a Hindu or Aztec temple, was a shambles--one sacrifice after another."
The Jewish Encyclopedia (1904, Vol. VIII, p. 653) says: "The fact, therefore, now generally accepted by critical scholars, is that in the last days of the kingdom human sacrifices were offered to Yhwh as King or Counsellor of the Nation and that the Prophets disapproved of it ...."
Jesus Himself speaking to the Pharisees (St. John, viii, 44) charges them with being hereditary murderers, which term can have no other meaning than ritual murderers. "Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he was a murderer from the beginning." This is in the Book on which "witnesses" are sworn when they give evidence against "anti-semites" who expose the murder of Christian children by Jews!
"Rabbinism was but an unfolding of Pharisaism, the full and swelling stream of corrupt doctrines, views and practices, of which the rivulets run up to the days of Christ and stretch back to those of Ezra until they are lost in the fountain-head, the Religious Philosophy of a debased Zoroastrianism." (Rev. J. Kitto, Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature.)
The trail of the tradition, then, is complete and leads to Rabbinism.
Pingback| 8.24.09 @ 3:03PM
ADF Alliance Alert » Freedom of conscience for pro-life taxpayers links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Tony in Central PA| 8.24.09 @ 4:42PM
The promised " Freedom of Choice Act " looks more like a distraction. The real aims of this Administration are hidden within the consequences of their plan for health care.
dasidper| 8.25.09 @ 12:20PM
Does anyone ever think that the pro-abortion plan has killed off a complete generation - over 40 million babies killed.
GENE HAUBER| 8.25.09 @ 4:28PM
IF AND WHEN TAXPAYER FUNDS WILL BE DEEMED AS NECESSARY TO FUND PUBLIC ABORTIONS, I AS A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN , WILL OPPOSE THAT MEASURE NOT ONLY BY NOT PAYING TAXES, BUT BY ACTIVELY SEEKING OUT A WAY TO EXTERMINATE THE
MOVING FORCE BEHIND THE MOVEMENT.
GOD WILL SUPPORT ME IN MY REFUSAL TO PAY FOR THE MURDER OF INNOCENTS IN THE WOMB AND WILL CONDEMN ME TO HELL IF I AQUIESCE TO THIS PRESIDENTS MURDEROUS SCHEME TO KILL OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS IN THE WOMB AND AT GOVERNMENT EXPENSE.
I WOULD RATHER SPEND MY TIME IN SEARCH OF A WAY TO ASSASSINATE THIS MENACE TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS .
I WILL SAY NO MORE, EXCEPT THAT THIS BROWN MONSTER DOEN NOT REPRESENT THE AMERICA THAT I BELIEVE IN AND THE ONE THAT OUR FOREFATHERS STAKED THEIR LIVES ON.
"WE HOLD THAT THESE TRUTHS ARE SELF EVIDENT , THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR, NOT OBAMA OR ANY MAN, WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS--
THESE POWERS ARE DERIVED FROM THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED......NOT FROM ELECTED GERMS LIKE OBAMA..
TO HELL WITH HIM.
Peggy| 8.26.09 @ 12:38PM
To hell with the entire left!!
hellen| 9.3.09 @ 10:52PM
Think you AION Kina have already Aion gold
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Loved| 2.3.10 @ 1:11PM
The current Supreme Court is likely only a single vote from overturning this decision, and declaring taxpayer funding to be commanded by the Constitution. Barack Obama may yet have the chance to change that balance on the Court.
Writing in thoughts