The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation would like to extend its deepest sympathies to the family of pro-life advocate Robert Schindler, Sr. Robert fought valiantly in an effort to save his daughter, Terri Schiavo, from a court-imposed death by dehydration and starvation. He also helped found an organization, the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation, which works everyday to assist families facing the threat of euthanasia. For more on the life of Robert Schindler, Sr., please visit http://www.lifenews.com/bio2943.html . Also, please note that Robert’s son Bobby will be among the featured speakers at our PA Pro-Life Conference October 24th in Scranton. To register for the conference, please visit http://www.paprolife.org/ and click on “Lighting the Way for Life.”
National Right to Life Legislative Director Douglas Johnson has written a column in which he sets the record straight on abortion funding in health care reform. As for the public option in health care reform, Johnson states:
So, once the Secretary of HHS has ordered that all abortions be covered under the “public option,” what would that mean? It would mean that you would not be allowed to enroll in the new government plan unless you were willing to pay an additional premium to cover the cost of elective abortions — in effect, an abortion surcharge.
The Capps Amendment explicitly requires that the federal official who runs the program must calculate the total cost of abortions and increase the premium for all enrollees enough to pay for the aggregate cost of the abortions. The amendment specifies that this “abortion surcharge” (my term) cannot be less than $12 per enrollee per year, but the amendment does not set an upper limit.
Again, this abortion premium is not optional: If you want to enroll in the government’s public health plan, you would be required to pay the abortion surcharge. If you did not want to pay for abortions, you would not be allowed to take advantage of the government program at all.
Please go to http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ to find out what more you can do to fight abortion in health care reform.
The Wall Street Journal carried an article demonstrating the contentious issue of government funding of abortion in health care reform. In the piece, National Right to Life’s Legislative Director, Douglas Johnson, states that before Congress votes, “lawmakers will know this is a bill to set up a big federal abortion program.”
The article goes on to say:
Abortion opponents say they will be satisfied only if a health bill specifically bans all abortion coverage in any federally subsidized plan. They note that Congress has already established similar bans in other federally funded health programs, such as Medicaid, health insurance for federal workers and military plans. The only exceptions are for rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother.
We must act now to stop abortion from being part of health care reform. To do your part, visit http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ . Remember, preborn children and their mothers are depending on you!
The Washington Times newspaper is confirming that current health care reform plans would mean government funding of abortion:
President Obama isn’t being straight when he says current health care proposals don’t provide government funding for abortion. They do.
The Associated Press, Time magazine, and FactCheck.org have also confirmed that health care reform in its current form includes abortion.
The Times goes on to say:
For decades, polls have shown that overwhelming majorities of Americans oppose public (taxpayer) funding of abortions even if many of those same Americans support keeping abortion a legal option. Even for many who are pro-choice, it is one thing to allow somebody to procure an abortion. It is quite another for the federal government to coerce everybody to pay taxes or fees for another person to procure what many consider to be a grave moral evil.
You can read more about this story at http://www.lifenews.com/nat5394.html .
We have the opportunity to make pro-life history in Pennsylvania, thanks to the PA Pro-Life Conference being held October 24th at the Scranton Hilton & Conference Center in Scranton. This conference will give you the tools you need to fight Washington’s anti-life agenda. You’ll also have the chance to hear a fantastic line-up of speakers, including national broadcaster Teresa Tomeo; former Attorney General of Kansas Phill Kline; anti-euthanasia advocate Bobby Schindler (brother of euthanasia victim Terri Schiavo); and Dr. David Prentice, an expert on stem cell research from the Family Research Council. Please register for the conference today! You can do so conveniently online at http://www.paprolife.org/ or call us at 717-541-0034. Encourage your pro-life friends and family members to register, too! We’d also like to encourage your business, church, or other group to help sponsor this important conference. For sponsorship opportunities, contact us at lifelines@paprolife.org. Hope to see you in Scranton!
Now is the time to call the local district office of your Congressional representative, urging him or her to oppose any health care bill that does not specifically exclude abortion and that leads to medical rationing. With your help, we can stop abortion and euthanasia from being part of health care reform. For background information, along with contact info for your Congressional representative, please go to http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ . We need your help today! The lives of preborn babies, their mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities are depending on it!
It’s been estimated that abortion totals could rise as much as 600,000 a year nationwide under so-called health care reform, which would include public funding for abortion. Any time government funding of abortion occurs, abortion numbers rise dramatically. For more on this story, click here.
Unfortunately, pro-abortion President Barack Obama is misstating the facts on abortion funding in health care reform. Obama says that government funding of abortion is a “fabrication.” But the rhetoric does not match the reality. As Douglas Johnson, legislative director of National Right to Life, states:
The Obama-backed legislation makes it explicitly clear that no citizen would be allowed to enroll in the government plan unless he or she is willing to give the federal agency an extra amount calculated to cover the cost of all elective abortions — this would not be optional. The abortionists would bill the federal government and would be paid by the federal government. These are public funds, and this is government funding of abortion.
You can read more of Johnson’s statement, along with some excellent supporting material, here.
Your help is urgently needed to make sure that health care reform is abortion-free. Please call U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter with this message:
“I urge you to oppose Senator Kennedy’s health care bill because it would result in coverage of abortion in a new nationwide public health insurance plan, and would allow federal subsidies to go to other plans that also cover elective abortions. I strongly urge you to oppose any health care bill unless abortion is explicitly excluded.”
And, for updated info about abortion and health care reform, please visit http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ .
The latest installment of our radio commentaries, Pro-Life Notes, is available here. You’ll learn how we can make pro-life history in Pennsylvania, how to keep abortion out of health care reform, and what the Speaker of the House is saying about critics of pro-abortion health care reform plans. Happy listening!
The latest edition of the PA Pro-Life Online News is available at http://www.paprolife.org/resources/e_news.html . This edition contains an urgent alert on health care reform, as well as an invitation to attend our statewide conference in October. Be sure to check it out!
Pro-life women’s groups are mourning the death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, of the famous Kennedy clan.
Unlike her brother, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, Eunice was a staunch pro-life champion. She also showed her concern for people with disabilities by founding the Special Olympics.
“No one more than Eunice Kennedy Shriver understood better the power held by the most vulnerable in our society,” SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com. “She fought for those hidden in the shadows of life, while acknowledging that they teach us far more than we could ever offer them. She was consistent in her championing of every vulnerable human life.”
You’ll find more on Eunice’s pro-life legacy here.
During a town meeting in Lebanon, PA, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter erroneously indicated that the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer funding of abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake, would mean that tax dollars would not pay for abortions under health care reform. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Unless abortion is specifically excluded from the health care reform bill, taxpayer funding of abortion could occur, resulting in a skyrocketing abortion rate. For more on this, see National Right to Life’s Legislative Action Center at http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/issues/alert/?alertid=13157881&type=CO .
Judge Sonia Sotomayor has been confirmed for the U.S. Supreme Court, over the objections of National Right to Life. Both of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senators, Bob Casey and Arlen Specter, voted for confirmation. Unfortunately, the High Court’s newest Justice is expected to back abortion on the bench. You’ll find more in the LifeNews.com report here.
With the August recess, our U.S. Senators and Congressional representatives will be returning to their districts to meet with constituents in town meetings and one-on-one. With abortion mandates looming in health care reform, it’s important for you to talk to Senators Casey and Specter and your Congressman and let them know that abortion doesn’t belong in any health care reform plan. Please consider attending a town meeting or scheduling a meeting with your Congressman. The lives of preborn babies and their mothers are depending on it! For background information and more instructions on what you can do to make health care reform abortion-free, please visit National Right to Life’s Legislative Action Center at http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ .
The latest issue of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Online News is up and ready for viewing at http://www.paprolife.org/resources/e_news.html . You’ll find important information about contacting your Congressional representative and Senators Casey and Specter about health care reform. You’ll also discover ways to stop Washington’s pro-abortion agenda, along with reasons why you need to be at the 2009 Pennsylvania Pro-Life Conference in Scranton October 24th. Register for the conference online at http://www.paprolife.org/events/state.html .