From The Hill

19 Pro-Life Democrat Representatives Send Letter to Speaker Pelosi - Mandated Abortion in Health Care Reform is "Unacceptable"

There are 97 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives - Eleven sign the letter

 

 

This week 19 Democrats in the House of Representative sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asking that abortion be excluded from the health care reform.

It is believed that abortion will be included under "reproductive health" for women.

The letter stated, "without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in a government-subsidized health care under general health care." The pro-life representatives stated clearly that they would not tolerate abortion in health care reform; "plans to mandate coverage for abortions, either directly or indirectly, are unacceptable."

The letter also cited statistics from Guttamacher, a pro-choice research organization, noting "that about one third of women who would have had an abortion if support were available carried their pregnancies to term when the abortion fund was unavailable" proving that "abortion reduction" is not achieved by making abortion more accessible.

The letter was organized by Congressman Dan Boren from Oklahoma. The nineteen representatives included eleven Catholics.

Catholic Representatives signing the letter are Bart Stupak (D-MI), Tim Holden (D-PA), Jerry Costello (D-IL), Gene Taylor (D-MS), James Oberstar (D-MN), Steve Driehaus (D-OH), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Charlie Melancon (D-LA), John Murtha (D-PA), Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) and Kathleen Dahlkemper (D-PA).

Two of the pro-life Catholic representatives, Steve Driehaus (D-OH) and Kathleen Dahlkemper (D-PA) took office in January 2009.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

June 25, 2009

Dear Honorable Pelosi:

As the debate on health care reform continues and legislation is produced, it is imperative that the issue of abortion not be overlooked.  Plans to mandate coverage for abortions, either directly or indirectly is unacceptable.

We believe in a culture that supports and respects the right to life and is dedicated to the protection and preservation of families.  Therefore, we cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan.  We believe that a government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan, should not be used to fund abortion.

Furthermore, we want to ensure that the Health Benefits Advisory Committee cannot recommend abortion services be included under covered benefits or as part of a benefits package.  Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in a government subsidized health care plan under general health care.  The health care reform package produced by Congress will be landmark, and with legislation as important as this, abortion must be addressed clearly in the bill text. 

Furthermore, funding restrictions save lives by reducing the number of abortions.  The Guttmacher Policy Review, a leading pro-choice research organization noted "that about one third of women who would have had an abortion if support were available carried their pregnancies to term when the abortion fund was unavailable."

Thank you for taking the time to consider our request.  By ensuring that abortions are not funded through any health care reform package, we willt ake this controversial issue off the table so that Congress can focus on crafting a broadly-supported health care reform bill.

Respectfully yours,

Reps. Dan Boren (D-OK)
Bart Stupak (D-MI)
Colin Peterson (D-MN)
Tim Holden (D-PA)
Travis Childers (D-MS)
Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
Heath Shuler (D-NC)
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX)
Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
Jerry Costello (D-IL)
Gene Taylor (D-MS)
James Oberstar (D-MN)
Bobby Bright (D-AL)
Steve Driehaus (D-OH)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Charlie Melancon (D-LA)
John Murtha (D-PA)
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)
Kathleen Dahlkemper (D-PA)