Obama Continues to Deceive in Addressing Congress

Last night, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on the subject of health care reform. The legislation Obama is promoting would pay for elective abortions with government funds and provide huge government subsidies to purchase private insurance plans that would cover elective abortions.

Of course, Obama didn’t say that last night. Instead he said “One more misunderstanding I want to clear up — under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.” To call this statement deceitful is an understatement!

For weeks, Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders have been falsely claiming that when House Democrats added the Capps Amendment to their legislation (H.R. 3200), it “took care” of the issue of government-funded abortions. They claim that the government-run insurance program would be paying for elective abortions only with “private funds.” This, of course, is a complete fabrication.

The reality is the public plan would be an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), part of the federal Executive Branch. Once the agency collects “premiums” from those enrolled, they would be as much “federal funds” as any funds collected by the IRS. Under the Capps amendment, abortionists would send their bills to DHHS and receive payment checks drawn on a federal Treasury account. It is impossible for a federal agency to expend “private funds.” No matter how Obama spins it, this is government funding of elective abortion.”

H.R. 3200 and the Capps Amendment would also wreak havoc with private insurance plans by explicitly authorizing the proposed government premium subsidies to go to private insurance plans that cover elective abortions. These government subsidies would be federal funds that would flow directly from the federal Treasury to the insurers. Obama’s deceitful claims don’t change the facts.

The White House and Democratic Congressional leaders have come up with yet another fabrication regarding government-funding of abortion. They assert that the pending legislation would not result in government funding of abortion because the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funding of abortion. But the Hyde Amendment applies only to Medicaid funds appropriated through the annual appropriations bill that funds the DHHS. None of the funds that would be expended by the government plan, and none of the funds that will subsidize the purchase of private insurance plans, will ever flow through an DHHS appropriations bill. None of the funds in these health care plans will be covered by the Hyde Amendment.

And remember, as a Illinois state senator, Barack Obama consistently opposed all limitations on government funding of elective abortion.

Obama tried to pull another fast one during an interview with Katie Couric that was broadcast on July 21. He measured his words in such a way that some were convinced he opposed government funding of abortion. What he actually said was, “we also have a tradition of, in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of government funded health care.” Notice that Obama did not express his support of the “tradition.” In fact, he has always opposed measures to prohibit most government-funding of abortion. The health care reform bills he is promoting would destroy the long-standing tradition of protecting taxpayer dollars from being used to pay for abortions.

Know the facts. Visit Wisconsin Right to Life’s webpage devoted to Obamacare at www.No2Obamacare.com

Sue Armacost