Washington- Congressman Joe Pitts (R, PA-16), Chairman of the House Values Action Team (VAT), hosted a press conference today to explain how the current draft of the House healthcare reform bill will result in publicly funded abortions and a mandate that would force private insurers to cover abortion.
 
Congressman Pitts’ statement follows:

“I have gathered here today with my colleagues – most of them pro-life women and doctors – to raise a critically important issue.  This week, House committees are scheduled to begin consideration of the largest piece of health care legislation in decades.

“Under the proposed legislation, virtually every individual will be required to have health care that meets the minimum benefit standards established by the administration.  Without an explicit exclusion, abortion will be determined to be included in these benefit standards.

“President Obama himself stated that ‘reproductive care is essential care, basic care.’  And history has demonstrated that unless abortion is explicitly excluded, administrative agencies and the courts will mandate it.

“We have seen this time and time again.  The federal Medicaid statute was silent on abortion, but the administration and the courts deemed abortion-on-demand to be mandated coverage.  Then in 1979, Congressman Henry Hyde asked the Indian Health Service where they found the authority to pay for abortions.  They responded, ‘We would have no basis for refusing to pay for abortions.’
 
“In both of these cases, explicit exclusions had to be added to ensure that taxpayers would not have to continue to pay for abortions.  The issue here is clear – if abortion is not explicitly excluded, it is implicitly included.  The stakes are high and the implications incredibly far-reaching.

“This will affect Americans across the country throughout all walks of life.  It will affect the insurance companies that are forced to cover abortion.  It will affect the employers, who will be forced to purchase plans that cover abortion.  It will affect the individuals, who are forced to pay for coverage of abortion.

“In fact, any individual who does not have a plan that meets the minimum benefit standards, which will undoubtedly include abortion unless it is excluded, will be forced to pay a 2 percent penalty.  Any employer who does not provide coverage that meets these standards will pay an 8 percent penalty.

“This legislation will mandate and subsidize abortion and then tax the Americans who stand for one of the very principles that this nation was founded on – the right to life.

“Let’s make it explicit that no American should be forced to finance abortions.”

Background

Under the proposed legislation, virtually every individual will be required to have health care coverage that meets “minimum benefits standards” established by the administration.  Those minimum benefits will include abortion unless Congress acts to explicitly exclude abortion from any government mandated coverage or taxpayer funded health plan.  Historical experience with federal statutes demonstrates that if abortion is not explicitly excluded, administrative agencies and the courts will mandate it.

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