Pro-life proposal a sham?
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 11/6/2009 8:35:00 AM
As OneNewsNow reported last week, page 110 of the House healthcare bill (H.R. 3692) authorizes a new federal health insurance program or "public option" to pay for all elective abortions.
Blue Dog Congressman Brad Ellsworth (D-Indiana), an avowed pro-lifer, is sponsoring an amendment he claims would make sure no federal funds in the bill are used to provide abortions.
However, pro-life groups across the country say Ellsworth's proposal is a sham. Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Obama administration are desperately trying to undercut Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) and other pro-lifers who want to pass an amendment barring abortion funding.
"How do they do that? By coming up with some phony baloney language and finding some pro-life guy who's willing to play along and be the front man," explains Johnson. "And unfortunately Mr. Ellsworth has been drawn into that role."
Johnson says Ellsworth's amendment not only keeps abortion in the bill, but it also adds insult to injury.
"He actually writes…he would write into the bill a provision where the federal Secretary of Health would have to pay a private contractor to make the payments to the abortionists. Now, that's a money laundering scheme," he contends. "It's still the federal government, the federal government taking federal government money and paying the abortionists for abortion on demand, and somehow he thinks that they can claim it's not the federal government if the federal official has to hire somebody to deliver the payment."
Johnson is urging Americans who do not want the government creating a large new abortion program to call Congressman Ellsworth and let him know they are not fooled by his "political hoax."
Results from related poll
How should Christians respond to lawmakers who support
healthcare reform which includes abortion funding?
