On the House
floor is an amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed
into Law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. It
is called the “Protect Life Act, H.R. 358."
As summarized by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm
of the Library of Congress, the purpose of the act is to:
“Amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to prohibit federal funds from being to used to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion services. (Currently, federal funds cannot be used for abortion services and plans receiving federal funds must keep federal funds segregated from any funds for abortion services.) Requires any qualified health benefit plan offered through an Exchange that includes coverage for abortions to also offer a qualified health benefit plan through the Exchange that is identical in every respect except that it does not cover abortions. Prohibits a federal agency or program and any state or local government that receives federal financial assistance under PPACA from requiring any health plan created or regulated under PPACA to discriminate against any institutional or individual health care entity based on the entity's refusal to undergo training in the performance of induced abortions, require or provide such training, or refer for such training. Creates a cause of action for any violations of the abortion provisions of PPACA. Gives federal courts jurisdiction to prevent and redress actual or threatened violations of such provisions by issuing any form of legal or equitable relief, including injunctions and orders preventing the disbursement of all or a portion of federal financial assistance until the prohibited conduct has ceased. Gives standing to institute an action to affected health care entities and the Attorney General. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive and investigate complaints alleging a violation of PPACA abortion provisions. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to ensure that no multistate qualified health plan offered in an Exchange provides coverage of abortion services.”Go to HR 358 "The Protect Life Act" for the full act, it's only a page long.
In short it
is intended to reinforce the already in place limits on the use of
federal funding for abortion, and to make sure health insurance providers cannot force unwilling citizens to take coverage for a procedure they find morally
unacceptable, and it would remove the mandate that to receive federal funding a
hospital must perform on demand abortions.
So how does
the Democratic leadership respond to this?
As usual with inflammatory statements and outright lies intended to inflame their political base.
2 comments:
I have just been informed (on Facebook) that this bill is the "Let Women Die" Act. And who give it such an uncharitable name? A pastor from my denomination with whom I graduated last year. Abortion is appalling on its own merits. And it's not uncommon for liberals to accuse pro-life folks of wanting to hurt women. But now we are out to kill women if we don't pay for their abortions? What next? Are we going to have to throw them abortion parties?
I find it interesting how many liberals use the exact same visceral talking points spit out by party leadership and political strategists without apparently reading the legislation, questioning and understanding its purpose and dealing rationally with the subject. It makes rational debate impossible and only fuels extreme responses. You see the "let women die" phrase used by Ms. Pelosi where I see nothing in the law that says a hospital is obligated to do that if the life of the mother is at risk.
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