By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Due to persistent stalling within the Obama Administration to enforce the President’s executive order eliminating all taxpayer funding of abortions from ObamaCare, pro-life lawmakers are introducing a new bill that will write these restrictions into law.
The Hill is reporting that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) made the announcement at the 40th annual National Right to Life Convention on Saturday evening, saying he will co-sponsor a new bill along with New Jersey pro-life Congressman Chris Smith that will make the prohibition the law of the land.
“Codifying the Hyde Amendment so that it applies to all federal funding, whether those funds are appropriated by Congress or authorized by Congress” is an idea that resonates with the public, Boehner told the crowd of nearly 1,000 people.
Current law prohibiting abortion funding, known as the Hyde Amendment, has to be approved annually and does not currently apply to all aspects of ObamaCare. The new bill would eliminate these loopholes as well as the need to vote on the Amendment year after year.
The move is being made after several months of waiting for some sign that the Administration intends to enforce the controversial Executive Order the president signed at the eleventh hour of the health care debate in order to win the support of pro-life lawmakers.
During his speech on Saturday night, Boehner said that the White House hasn’t “lifted a finger to enforce the president’s executive order on abortion.”
He also revealed that when he asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about enforcing the order, her only response was to say the administration is “working on it.”
Boehner went on to say that as recently as two weeks ago he personally broached the issue with Obama at a White House meeting. “Everyone in the room heard me ask the question. But we’re all still waiting for an answer.”
This stonewalling has led to the creation of the new bill which has a good chance of passing in the House where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle approved the pro-life Stupak Amendment last November.
Once the bill is introduced, “I will call on Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer to bring it to an immediate vote,” Boehner promised at the convention.
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