For almost a year, the media has been forced to cover the Republican process of selecting a candidate for President in 2012. This has turned off many people, as in the April election less than 15 percent of the registered voters took part.
For many years, I have been involved with a group called Democrats for Life of America, and this is a copy of their report dated April 5, 2012.
HEALTH CARE AND ABORTION
Question: Which presidential candidate's health care plan provide $50 co-pays for abortions and goes beyond covering "medically necessary" abortions in publicly-subsidized health plans to covering all abortions without restrictions?
(Stop...no peeking until you've come up with your answer.)
Answer: If you said this was Obama's plan, you'll be relieved to know that you're incorrect. Thanks in part to the work of Democrats for Life and pro-life heroes like Bart Stupak, Kathy Dahlkemper, and Joe Donelly, President Obama's health care plan does not pay for abortion.
If you ignored the crowd of anti-abortion Republicans closing ranks behind Mitt Romney's health plan from his days as Massachusetts governor, you are correct.
As Fred Thompson's presidential campaign charged correctly in a 2007 e-mail.
"So what sort of services does Romney's health care plan provide? Per the state Web site: $50 co-pay for abortions."
"While court mandate requires Massachusetts to cover 'medically necessary' abortions in state-subsidized health plans, Mitt Romney's plan covers ALL abortions -- no restrictions."
The nonpartisan fact-checking website Politifact awarded Mr. Thompson' statement a "True" rating, and noted that-far from runnin away from the Romneycare legacy, the Romney of the last campaign proudly touted his role in making it law:
"I love it! It's a fabulous program....Now I know there's some people who wonder about it. Senator Kennedy, at the signing of the bill -- we were all there together -- he said, "You know, if you got Mitt Romney and Ted Kennedy agreeing to the same bill, it means one thing: One of us didn't read it."
But I helped write it, and I know it well" (Source: NYT transcript of GOP Presidential debate, 5/2/2007
Yet, this time around, Mr. Romney (inaccurately) denounces the Affordable Care Act, whose design in many crucial aspects is based on RomneyCare-as a government takeover of health care.
Like the weather in a Midwestern summer. Romney's approach to public policy provides one great consolation for those who are dissatisfied with it: If you wait a while, it'll change.
ROMNEYCARE VS. OBAMACARE ON ABORTION
Romeycare
No restrictions - public funding of abortion on demand mandatory
Obamacare
No public funding of abortion except for the cases of rape, incest or life of the mother.
Here is an incomplete list of statutory restrictons written into the Affordable Care Act.
- State's may elect to prohibit abortion coverage in health plans offered through the exchange
- Nothing shall be construed to require a qualified health plan to provide abortion coverage.
- Current law applies - meaning no abortion funding except in the saes of rape,incest, lifew of mother.
- There is no discrimination against " any individual health care providere or health care facility because of its unwillingness to provide, pay for, provide coverage of or refer abortions.
- There is no preemption of state laws regarding abortion.
- School-based clinics canot fund or provide abortions
So I pass this along for you to consider as you probably haven't been aware of Democrats For Life.