Writing for Catholic Advocate, Matt Smith deconstructs Sen. Barbara Boxer’s admission the Senate health care bill fully funds abortion, in spite of the accounting procedures that purportedly keep separate money for health insurance from money for abortion.
By Matt Smith
A buyer’s chance to return a vehicle under the California lemon law applies for 30 days. Too bad for Senator Ben Nelson (D, Nebraska) the same does not apply to legislative deals cut in Washington D.C. with California’s pro-abortion Senator Barbara Boxer (D, California) when she talks to reporters 31 days later.
As most of America knows, back on December 19th Senator Nelson became the 60th vote needed to advance the Senate’s version of President Obama’s health care reform legislation – his self-described signature domestic policy initiative.
In announcing his compromise, Senator Nelson’s press release boasted:
“In negotiations with Senate leaders Nelson won new protections addressing abortion that are more thorough than the Stupak language included in the House health care bill.
“Nelson’s provisions: (1) ensure that no public funds will be used for abortion; (2) mandate that every state provide an insurance plan option that does not cover abortion; and (3) gives each state the right to pass a law barring insurance coverage for abortion within state borders.
“‘My values and principles have required me to fight hard to prevent tax dollars from being used to subsidize abortions,’ Senator Nelson said. ‘I believe we have accomplished that goal. I also fought hard to protect the right of states to regulate the kind of insurance that is offered, and to provide health insurance options in every state that do not provide coverage for abortion.
“’I know these limits on abortion are hard for some people to accept, and I respect those who disagree, but I would not have voted for this bill without them.’”
Joining Senator Harry Reid (D, Nevada) at the negotiating table representing abortion activists was Senator Boxer who oddly and immediately took heat from her friends in the “women’s groups” for agreeing to the compromise. Senator Boxer has been mysteriously quiet since the deal was struck with exception to her remarks on the Senate floor prior to the vote when she implored her colleagues with what now probably deserved a Golden Globe this past weekend – “Please don’t single out women…What have women done to deserve this? … Why have such a lack of respect for them?” However, the silence was broken on January 18 when Boxer, according to McClatchy News Service, “said it’s only an ‘accounting procedure’ that will do nothing to restrict [abortion] coverage.”
Read the remainder here.
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