Health Care Reform Could Reduce Abortions

The Pro-Life forces have gotten off on a uniformed rant about Health Care Reform using Federal Tax money for abortions. The reality is, there is nothing in any version of the Health Care Bill in either the House or Senate that overturns the existing federal law to make that happen. Rather then knee jerk fear mongering against reform perhaps they should look at the fact that it would very likely reduce the number of abortions in this country.

A Study by the March of Dimes in 2004 showed the average cost of maternity care is $8,802 per child. That fact is consistent with a unsurprising study that found the single biggest reason stated for having an abortion in a 1988 Study was the inability to afford the child. How many who cannot afford health insurance now, can afford to pay out of their pockets the maternity costs. An abortion though perhaps not their first choice may indeed by the far easier one financially.

In addition those without health insurance are much less likely to have check ups, well care appointments and discussions with a doctor that would help prevent unwanted pregnancy in the first place.

Facts and common sense lead to the conclusion that Health Care Reform would not pay for abortions but would in fact lower the number of them.

sources: March of Dimes Study

Why Do Women Have Abortions

GOP Health Care Reform Lie: Abortion

Once again those on the right and the GOP are playing political games to try to keep Americans from looking at the facts and their own self interests in the Health Care Debate. Their latest tactic was attempting a red herring amendment on Abortion.

Here are the facts. There is a 1976 Federal Law called the Hyde amendment that prohibits any Federal Funds to ever be used for abortions. To pass a law that requires otherwise would require a repeal of that amendment. There is no such repeal included in any version of the health care legislation. In fact because it is the law it was and it is a non issue, the word or any reference to abortion did not exist in any version of the bill. But it is now thanks to the GOP. They attempted to put an amendment in the bill which would not only restate needlessly the existing federal law but to prohibit any private insurance company to pay for abortions as well. (Talk about Federal Govt getting between you and your doctor) This amendment was defeated. There is now compromise language in this version of the bill which restates needlessy that no Federal funds would be used for abortion but also states that there is no prevention on private insurance on paying for the procedure.

Now why did the GOP to do this. So they could distort what the amendment actually was and trash congressmen like Ohio 18th district Congressman Zack Space for voting against it. If you want proof do a google search on Zack Space and Abortion and you will find right wing extremist blogs all over this distortion. They of course fail to mention that it is illegal for federal money to pay for abortions period.

This is similar to the red herring gay marriage law that was put on the ballot in Ohio in 2004. They put a law on the ballot to fire up the Christian Right over the gay marriage issue. The fact was the constitution of the State Of Ohio already prevented gay marriage, so this law was useless.

To me the most hypocritical of any group I have seen on the health care debate is the Family Research Council. This "Christian" Group is running and ad claiming the Health Care Reform bill will be paying for abortions. This is an outright lie. Since when is lying ok for a christian?

Why does the "Right" always resort to lies? Because when they debate based on fact, they lose.

It is Time to Call the Abortion Bluff

The Abortion debate has gone on for decades and has been the issue that has been used by the Republican Party to polarize the country and steal the moral values image from the Democratic Party. Yet on so many other moral issues the Democrats have always been the champions politically. Just look the last 30 years, it has mobilized the christian right to convince voters to toss out a President, Jimmy Carter who's not only life before and during his presidency clearly had a christian compass, but after as well to replace him with a divorced former Hollywood B actor. It has separated the traditional catholic voters of John F Kennedy from the Democratic Party and turned them to vote republican. Even today, the support among Catholics for Obama has dropped by 50% since inauguration. Not because he has changed a single law or policy on abortion,as he hasn't, but because from the pulpits of Catholic Churches all over the country it is being preached that he will.

My observation that there are several different groups of Americans holding different positions on Abortion.

Passionate Moralists.

These are those that believe that abortion is murder period. That it should not be legal in any way shape or form. When I use the word "bluff." I am not referring to this group. I respect their opinion if not always the tactics that are used by some. This group is in the minority in this debate.

Government Intrusionists

This is the group of Americans that I believe are in the majority on this issue. They believe that abortion is in fact very much a moral and ethical issue and wrong. However they do not believe that it is the Government's right to enforce morality upon women over their right to control what happens with their own bodies. This is the positon I take and obviously respect this group as well.

Mythical Immoral Abortionists

This is the group that many claim exist that is either very small or doesn't exist at all. Yet almost every democrat running for office is accused of being in this group. This group if it existed would be those that see no moral or ethical issue with abortion and see it as a medical procedure that should and could happen on demand without any concern whatsoever. I have never met a single person that believes this, thus I have doubts this group exists.

Political opportunists

This is the group I have no respect for. They are the ones that may believe one way or another as far as whether abortion should be legal or not, but in reality do not want the laws to change as they use this debate simply as a tool for political gain. This is the group for which the bluff should be called and must be now.


The first two Groups seemingly on opposite sides of the Abortion debate have one thing in common. The vast majority of them have an issue with late term abortion. Without trying to pin point the exact moment of when human life begins, it is still clear to most that at 6 months of gestation there is a viable or close to viable human life in existence. So if most agree that late term abortions should be severely limited if not outlawed, why haven't they? It is the Political Opportunists that have prevented it.

During the Clinton administration we came close to resolving the argument yet, Clinton was put in a position to have to veto the bill by the Republican Congress. The Law they passed did not allow any exceptions for the health of the mother. Why? Because it gave them the issue to use in the 2000 election. It worked.

Even in this last election the issue was used to accuse Obama of being for letting viable born alive infants die, to all kinds of abortion related atrocities. All of which of course were untrue. It is a powerful tool for the Political Opportunists and without it, the "moral values" tag would easily soon move back to the Democratic Party over issues like poverty, health care, war and the death penalty.

On the left there are also political opportunists that want to fight this debate using the "if you give in on one thing you will lose all your rights to control your own bodies" line. This is as small minded an argument as the belief that if we take away automatic weapons soon they will be coming for your hunting rifle.

Now is the time to take this issue out of the hands of the opportunists. We have control of the Congress and the Presidency. We can pass legislation to severely restrict late term abortions to only those with clear medical reasons. This is the time that political opportunists could not oppose such a measure without their bluff being obvious to all. This would satisfy the vast majority of Americans on the abortion issue and eventually bring the majority of catholics back to the Democratic party. Will it satisfy the passionate moralists? Not totally but it will clearly reduce their power and influence in the political arena.

The Committee for "Truth" in Politics hits Ohio

A completely false and deceptive anti Obama ad is being run in Ohio paid for by The Committee for Truth in Politics. This organization was incorporated one week ago by North Carolina Attorney Bill Peaslee, formerly the chief of staff of the North Carolina Republican Party.

This name of this organization similarly uses the word "truth" as did the name "Vietnam Veterans for Truth" the organization that ran the false Swift Boat attacks against Kerry in 2004.The incorporator and sole director of the Committee for Truth is NC attorney Bill Peaslee, formerly the chief of staff, legal counsel and political director for the North Carolina Republican Party.

Fact: It always has been and remains the law to make all attempts to save the life of a newborn child regardless of the circumstances of the child's birth. The Law Obama voted against was in fact an attempt to overturn Roe Vs Wade. It had no effect whatsoever on the existing laws.

From fightthesmears.com: Rick Winkel, a Republican former state senator who sponsored the “Born Alive” bill, wrote in a Letter to the Editor, “None of those who voted against SB-1082 favored infanticide.”

Barack's actual position on partial birth abortions is this, he said in April 2008, "On an issue like partial birth abortion, I strongly believe that the state can properly restrict late-term abortions. I have said so repeatedly. All I've said is we should have a provision to protect the health of the mother, and many of the bills that came before me didn't have that."

I find it amazing that these so people that claim they are advocating for "Moral" issues seem to have forgotten that one of the 10 Commandments is: "Thou shall not bear false witness."

Extremist Right to Lifers invade Zanesville

Today the main commercial road through Zanesville, Maple Ave, was invaded by right to life advocates using very sick and immoral tactics. The road normally traveled by families on their way to shop at the Mall, Walmart, Bob Evan's, or on their way to Doctor's offices or Hospitals, was lined with advocates using their religion to justify exposing all including children 6' tall posters of aborted fetises. This along with similar visuals on two trucks that I saw, tying up traffic driving up and down the street.

Be for or against abortion or any issue. But using your religion to justify exposing children to such images makes as much sense as the use of Muslim extremist using their religion to justify their actions or the KKK for that matter.

What if someone tried to show the atrocities of war standing along that same street showing blown up servicemen or Iraqi children? Would that be considered acceptable? I think not.

Yes I'll defend the rights of free speech for anyone, but I also have the right to criticize their methods and words as wrong and irresponsible.