The White House said today that President Barack Obama would add to his lengthy pro-abortion record by vetoing legislation the House will vote on tomorrow that bans taxpayer funding of abortions across the board.
Obama would veto HR 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, should Congress approve the legislation, with the White House saying the president opposes the bill because it would supposedly make it tougher for women to obtain abortion coverage from private insurance companies thereby expanding the current Hyde Amendment, which only limits tax-funded abortions under Medicaid, beyond its current reach.
“The Administration will strongly oppose legislation that unnecessarily restricts women’s reproductive freedoms and consumers’ private insurance options,” the White House said in a statement. “If the President is presented with H.R. 3, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”
Although Obama would veto the bill, the question beyond Wednesday House vote — where Republicans and a handful of Democrats are expected to vote for the legislation — is whether it could get beyond the Senate and land on Obama’s desk. With pro-abortion Democrats strongly opposing the bill, Republicans would have to find another piece of legislation to attach the measure to and would likely need to overcome a very difficult 60-vote threshold to do so.
Meanwhile, pro-life groups have engaged in an active lobbying effort to secure more votes for the tax-funded abortion ban in the House.
Faith Family Freedom Fund, a political action committee associated with Family Research Council Action, launched a radio ad campaign in 12 congressional districts on Monday calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to approve H.R. 3. The ad buy will run on both news/talk and Christian radio stations in the districts of the House members Charlie Bass (R-NH), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Shelly Capito (R-WV), Christopher Gibson (R-NY), Nan Hayworth (R-NY), Jason Altmire (D-PA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH).
Last month, the Faith Family Freedom Fund targeted eight Congressional districts urging support for H.R. 3.
“On Election Day, the American people made clear their opposition to using their hard- earned dollars to pay for abortions and most especially during a time of such economic turmoil,” said Faith Family Freedom Fund Chairwoman Connie Mackey. “Polling continues to show that Americans do not want federal dollars paying for abortion regardless of their view over the legality of abortion.
“Just as Congress finally restored the ban on taxpayer abortion funding in Washington, D.C., this bill will apply the same principle across the federal government. We call on these House Members to vote to ensure that American taxpayers are not complicit in a lethal assault on the most fundamental of all human rights – the right to life,” Mackey said.
In the ad, a narrator says: “For 35 years, the Hyde Amendment has protected federal tax dollars from being used for abortion. Obamacare changed that. This is the voice of Congressman Hyde.”
A recording of pro-life champion Congressman Henry Hyde then plays: “I believe nothing in this world of wonders is more beautiful than the innocence of a child. That little, almost born infant struggling to live is a member of the human family, and abortion is a lethal assault against the very idea of human rights and destroys, along with a defenseless little baby, the moral foundation of our democracy. Our moment in history is marked by a mortal conflict between a culture of death and a culture of life, and today, here and now, we must choose sides.”
The ad concludes: “Support the ‘No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,'” and lists the name and number for that district’s representative.
A majority of Americans object to the use of taxpayer money for funding abortion, according to numerous polls — including a survey CNN conducted in early April showing Americans oppose public funding of abortion by a margin of 61% to 35%.
In February, the House Judiciary Committee approved the main bill on a mostly partisan 23-14 vote. The committee also removed a provision concerning forcible rape that abortion advocates had used to misconstrue the intent of the legislation. The party-line vote saw Republicans on the panel supporting the measure and Democrats on the committee voting against it, with the exception of Puerto Rico Del. Pedro Pierluisi.
At the end of March, a second House committee voted 22 to 14 to give approval to a companion bill to the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” HR 3, thereby setting up a vote on the House floor.
ACTION: Contact members of the House to support the taxpayer funding of abortion ban at https://www.house.gov
