by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
A prominent bioethics lawyer says she believes Sen. Barack Obama’s plan to “spread the wealth” will ultimately mean taxpayer funding of elective Medicaid abortions as well as clinics such as Planned Parenthood.
In an article appearing on National Review Online, Dorinda C. Bordlee, vice president and senior counsel of the Bioethics Defense Fund, outlines a possible scenario for how a Barack Obama presidency may impact taxpayer funding of abortion on this country.
First, she points out that Sen. Obama advocates for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment which has been in existence since 1977 and limits federal funding of abortion under Medicaid in varying degrees. While the amendment is subject to debate every time it comes up for renewal, an Obama presidency plus a Democratic majority in the House and near-majority in the Senate will almost certainly allow this amendment to be repealed.
If this happens, for the first in our nation’s history, U.S. taxpayers will be forced to fund not only Medicaid abortions for reasons of the mother’s health, rape and/or incest, but for the abortion of any unborn child for any reason throughout nine months of pregnancy.
“The non-renewal of the Hyde Amendment will be an important first step in Obama’s goal of enacting a national health-insurance program that would mandate coverage of abortion on demand,” Bordlee writes. “This would be another first in our nation’s history. Also subject to repeal are provisions that currently ban taxpayer funded abortion on U.S. military bases, abortions for Peace Corps volunteers, Indian Health Service clients, and federal prisoners.”
Second, Obama’s plan will divert more tax dollars to fund Planned Parenthood while Crisis Pregnancy Centers will be defunded.
”A President Obama would further spread the wealth by reviving prior efforts to increase funding to Planned Parenthood and similar clinics by $100 million. Planned Parenthood is the number one provider of abortions in the United States,” Bordlee writes.
“A President Obama could pay for this expanded Planned Parenthood funding program by cutting off current federal funding to crisis pregnancy centers that provide resources to help women choose life (as his campaign promised to do in a questionnaire by RHrealitycheck.org).”
“Spread the wealth” will also involve funding organizations that perform or promote abortion overseas, Bordlee says.
”The Mexico City Policy is a United States government policy which requires all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive federal funding to refrain from performing or promoting abortion in other countries. It was in place from 1984 until 1993 and again since 2001. Like the Clinton presidency, the Mexico City Policy will not be adopted by an Obama administration. Your federal tax dollars will then be accessible to NGOs who perform and promote abortion overseas.”
Bordlee concludes by pointing out that Sen. Obama’s record in the Illinois Senate and the U.S. Senate proves he is committed to expanding abortion on demand and, combined with his stated economic policy based on “spreading the wealth,” ultimately means the taxpayer will foot the bill.
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