Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Is Abortion Covered In Obama's Health Care Bill?

Ken Blackwell of the Family Research Council has a killer argument for why we must assume it would be covered by the so-called "public option." It revolves around the Sherlock Holmes case of the famous racehorse that was stolen and the significance of the dog who didn't bark.

"Many of us remember the Sherlock Holmes story we read in high school. A famous racehorse is stolen from a barn at night. The barn was guarded by a dog.

Scotland Yard, England's famous police headquarters, sends Inspector Gregory to investigate, but Sherlock Holmes was on the case.

Inspector Gregory: "Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?" Holmes: "To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." Gregory: "The dog did nothing in the night-time." Holmes: "That was the curious incident."

The dog didn't bark. That is what led Sherlock Holmes to conclude that the dog knew the perpetrator."

Obama promised Planned Parenthood that he would pass the Freedom of Choice Act, which was the abortion industry's highest legislative priority. He has not done it. Planned Parenthood has been silent. If abortion is not enshrined in health care reform legislation (the famous 1000 page document few have ever read), then why have they been silent?

There is no good answer to this question except that they know that Obama is delivering the substance of FOCA through the health care reform. Blackwell writes:

"The Obama administration is going to great pains to deny that abortion is in their health care plan. The President himself says he prefers not to be "distracted" by this question."

Note that he does not say that abortion is not covered by public funds. He says he would rather not be "distracted" by this question. No doubt he wishes the question would go away. But it isn't going anywhere. Blackwell comments further:

"Family Research Council President Tony Perkins weeks ago challenged Planned Parenthood's boss -- Cecile Richards -- to debate. My friend Tony does not ask Richards to debate the entirety of ObamaCare, just the one point: Is abortion funding in there or not? So far, Richards has limited herself to howling for passage of the bill. She won't come out and debate.

Question: Why would Richards and Planned Parenthood support any health care takeover if it did not include abortion-on-demand? Don't they really believe that, as Hillary told a congressional committee earlier this year, that reproductive health care includes "abortion services?"


We can look to the actions so far of congressional committees. Eleven times, pro-life amendments were offered in committee, amendments that would have specifically ruled out abortion funding. Eleven times these amendments were voted down. Pro-life Democrats joined Republicans in voting for these protective amendments. But they could not prevail."

Can there be any doubt that Obama and his supoorters are trying to pull a fast one on the American people? There is a reason why the dog is silent; it knows the one who is trying to pull this fast one and it knows him very well.

Read it all here.

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