Abortion: The health care reform issue that won’t go away

The abortion issue is not going away from the health care reform issue. Democrats in Congress continue to shoot down Republican amendments that specify that no health care reform money goes for abortions. The Democrats argue that the bills already outlaw tax money to be spent for abortions.

But that’s not necessarily true. Pro-choice Democrats are prepared to allow women who receive federal subsidies to choose private plans that offer abortion coverage. The question arises: Should a woman who receives tax money to buy a plan be allowed to have abortion coverage? That would seem to run against the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding of most abortions. Late last week the three Catholic bishops helping the White House draft a health care reform bill warned the administration that a final bill must specifically ban abortion coverage obtained through subsidies.  Readhere

Proponents of abortion argue that the Hyde Amendment is not broken if no subsidy monies are used to provide coverage for abortions in a plan. Expect a huge floor fight over this abortion question as the bills go to the floors. If the Obama administration manages to muscle a health care bill through without the bishops’ requested changes, this issue could eventually go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A sidenote: Despite a more liberal country, Americans are moving slowly toward a more pro-life position, according to a Pew poll. A small majority, 52 percent, regard having an abortion as morally wrong. 10 percent say it’s not morally wrong, 25 percent say it’s not a moral issue. The rest either don’t have an opinion or believe it depends on the circumstances. On its legality, we’re as split as the U.S. Congress. 47 percent say it should be legal in all or most cases, 45 percent say the opposite. Readhere