Today, pro-life democrats in the US Senate agreed to a health care bill that will allow federal dollars to subsidize abortion. I had hoped in particular that Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., would have the intestinal fortitude in the senate that Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., had in the house. Stupak's amendment to the house version does not allow any federal funds to pay for elective abortions...period. The agreement that Nelson conceded to, however, allows states to decide whether or not federally funded health plans will pay for elective abortions. It also claims to "segregate" funds that are paid by the insured from funds provided by the federal government, only allowing the private funds to pay for abortion.
These differences may be intricate, but they are important. Let's say, for example, that my neighbor comes over and asks for me to pay for her abortion. I say that I'm opposed to abortion and decline to pay her anything. She replies, "That's fine. I have a car payment due which happens to be the same cost as the abortion. Why don't you make my car payment for me so that I can pay for my own abortion?" Needless to say, I'm still not going to give her a dime, because at the end of the day, it's an accounting gimmick. If I give her the money, I'm paying for her abortion.
Likewise, if federally subsidized health insurance pays for an abortion, it really doesn't matter where the money came from on paper. All the abortionist knows is that he got money from Uncle Sam to pay for an abortion. This will likely result in an increase in abortions across America.
There is another problem with the senate version. If you live in a liberal state that votes to approve federal funds for abortion, you no longer have any say in the matter. Dollars will be taken from you to pay for the destruction of innocent human life.
Stupak is maintaining his stand and says that the senate compromise is not enough. At least now we know where to go to find pro-life democrats who are true to their convictions and where to find those who merely give lip service to the rights of the preborn.
