Quick Links Home Abortion  Stem Cell Research & Cloning Partial Birth Abortion  Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia		Press Release   Health Care Reform Mandates, Funds, Increases Abortions Will Lead To “Aborted Baby Boom,” Preempt State Limitations and Protections. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2009 Contact Don Nelson, Nevada LIFE, 775-530-0029 The following statement can be attributed to Nevada LIFE President Don Nelson: HR 3200, “America’s Affordable Health Care Choice Act” will not only fund abortion, it will mandate coverage of abortion on demand in virtually all of America’s health care plans and lead to a literal “aborted baby boom” with a staggering increase in the number of abortions. HR 3200 may not use the word abortion, but unless Congress explicitly excludes abortion from being defined as an “essential benefit,” the broadly worded mandatory categories of coverage will be interpreted by the courts to include abortion, as they have been in the past.  President Obama and abortion advocacy groups believe basic health care includes abortion.  In July 2007, Obama told Planned Parenthood that “reproductive care is essential care, basic care, so it is at the center, the heart of the plan I propose.”  Private insurers “are going to have to abide by the same rules in terms of providing comprehensive care, including reproductive care… that’s going to be vital.”  Both the Obama campaign and administration have stated that “reproductive care” includes abortion.  HR 3200 will create an abortion clinic mandate.  It will require plans that use a provider network to ensure the “adequacy of such network” so enrollees have access to the services covered.  Once abortion becomes a federally mandated “essential benefit,” networks will need to take steps, including establishing new abortion sites in the service area, to meet the standards required by the “Health Choices Commissioner.”  It will pour more taxpayer dollars into Planned Parenthood coffers. Unless HR 3200 excludes abortion, an “aborted baby boom” will follow.  The US taxpayer paid for 300,000 abortions every year from 1973-1976, before the Hyde Amendment explicitly prevented abortion coverage.  Estimates from NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood suggest that 20-50 percent of women who would have aborted, carried their child to term because of the Hyde Amendments prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion.  If HR 3200 passes there will be 350,000-675,000 or more taxpayer funded abortions a year. There will likely be 200,000-500,000 more abortions.  This would reverse the dramatic decrease in both the rate and number of abortions that have occurred since the Hyde Amendment prohibited federal funding of abortion. HR 3200 also makes clear that federal standards in the bill or written by the “Health Choices Commissioner” will preempt state laws.  The pre-emption provision could nullify state limitations on abortion such as parental involvement laws, waiting periods and other laws that could be regarded as impeding access to a federally guaranteed “essential benefit.”   Congress needs to explicitly exclude abortion from any health care reform bill to keep from creating a new aborted baby boom.  69 percent of Americans, including many Obama and pro-choice supporters oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.   -30-