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Obama Wants Tax Money To Fund DC Abortions
By JOE MURRAY, The Bulletin
President Barack Obama urged the Democratic-controlled House and Senate to repeal the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions in the District of Columbia as one of his budgetary recommendations earlier this week.
The $3.4 trillion budget Mr. Obama submitted to Congress suggested the repeal of the ban, often referred to as the Dornan amendment, which prevents taxpayer-funded abortions in the District. First passed in 1988, the ban was in place until 1993 when it was briefly repealed under the Clinton administration.
By 1996, the ban was re-enacted and remains law. The budget proposal to repeal the Dornan Amendment has a number of political observers crying foul.
“Some wide-eyed journalists and various political shills for the Obama administration continue to write fairy tales about how President Obama wants to pursue policies that would reduce abortions,” said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).
“That is a political scam. In reality, President Obama is pursuing a step-by-step strategy to expand access to abortion, and today’s step is to urge Congress to authorize the funding of abortion on demand in the nation’s capital, with funds appropriated by Congress.”
Abortion has been a tricky issue for Mr. Obama since he entered the presidential campaign. While on the trail, Mr. Obama dodged questions pertaining to his pro-choice voting record in Illinois and famously told Pastor Rick Warren the topic of abortion was above his “pay grade.”
But during the end of the campaign, Mr. Obama pledged to find “common ground” on the abortion issue and pursue policies that would reduce them. Pro-life advocates claim Mr. Obama’s willingness to fund D.C. abortions with tax dollars does just the opposite.
“Common sense dictates one truism: we won’t find reductions in abortion as long as we continue to subsidize and promote it at taxpayers’ expense. The Obama administration’s promise to find ways to reduce abortion numbers rings hollow in such an environment,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.
“As America faces an acute economic crisis and public support for legal abortion is on sharp decline, expanding taxpayer funding for abortion in what is already the abortion capital of the United States should be the last item on Congress’ agenda.”
Mr. Obama is attempting to build a bridge between the pro-life and pro-abortion communities and announced he would be meeting with individuals from both sides of the debate to craft a middle-of-the-road policy.
“Not everyone may agree on every issue we discuss, but we think there is enough common ground and potential for common ground here that people can help us to move forward,” domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes, the Obama official leading the initiative, told The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Obama’s rhetoric, pro-lifers say, does not match reality.
Since Mr. Obama has been in office, Ms. Dannenfelser claims he has being providing the abortion industry a bailout of their own. He has been a staunch supporter of abortion rights and supported measures to increase the ease of receiving an abortion.
“If Americans weren’t paying attention to President Obama’s abortion bailout agenda before, they should pay attention now. This is just the most recent in a long line of actions by President Obama to placate the abortion industry — actions that fail to match his words with regard to abortion policy,” the pro-life advocate said.
The Constitution says Congress has legislative authority over the District and, therefore, the city’s budget must be appropriated by Congress. If Congress repeals the Dornan Amendment, taxpayer-funded abortions will be the law of the land in the District.
“If Congress goes along with the Obama proposal, the predictable result will be tax funding of several thousand elective abortions annually, including roughly 1,000 abortions annually that would not otherwise occur,” Mr. Johnson said.
Pro-life organizations point to abortion industry studies that show thousands of people are alive in the District today because of the ban on taxpayer-funded abortion. The same studies show that a ban on taxpayer-funded abortions deters up to one-third of abortions.
As the president moves to expand abortion services, a new poll shows the public shifting away from abortion on demand. The poll, released by the Pew Research Center, found support for abortion has fallen by 8 percent nationwide, and the declines were steeper when subgroups were isolated.
“Already this year tens of thousands of Americans have asked Congress to respect the consciences of taxpayers and stop the abortion bailout,” said Ms. Dannenfelser.
“As Congress begins the new appropriations process, it would do well to heed the voices of constituents and stop the flow of taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry.”
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
The $3.4 trillion budget Mr. Obama submitted to Congress suggested the repeal of the ban, often referred to as the Dornan amendment, which prevents taxpayer-funded abortions in the District. First passed in 1988, the ban was in place until 1993 when it was briefly repealed under the Clinton administration.
By 1996, the ban was re-enacted and remains law. The budget proposal to repeal the Dornan Amendment has a number of political observers crying foul.
“Some wide-eyed journalists and various political shills for the Obama administration continue to write fairy tales about how President Obama wants to pursue policies that would reduce abortions,” said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).
“That is a political scam. In reality, President Obama is pursuing a step-by-step strategy to expand access to abortion, and today’s step is to urge Congress to authorize the funding of abortion on demand in the nation’s capital, with funds appropriated by Congress.”
Abortion has been a tricky issue for Mr. Obama since he entered the presidential campaign. While on the trail, Mr. Obama dodged questions pertaining to his pro-choice voting record in Illinois and famously told Pastor Rick Warren the topic of abortion was above his “pay grade.”
But during the end of the campaign, Mr. Obama pledged to find “common ground” on the abortion issue and pursue policies that would reduce them. Pro-life advocates claim Mr. Obama’s willingness to fund D.C. abortions with tax dollars does just the opposite.
“Common sense dictates one truism: we won’t find reductions in abortion as long as we continue to subsidize and promote it at taxpayers’ expense. The Obama administration’s promise to find ways to reduce abortion numbers rings hollow in such an environment,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.
“As America faces an acute economic crisis and public support for legal abortion is on sharp decline, expanding taxpayer funding for abortion in what is already the abortion capital of the United States should be the last item on Congress’ agenda.”
Mr. Obama is attempting to build a bridge between the pro-life and pro-abortion communities and announced he would be meeting with individuals from both sides of the debate to craft a middle-of-the-road policy.
“Not everyone may agree on every issue we discuss, but we think there is enough common ground and potential for common ground here that people can help us to move forward,” domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes, the Obama official leading the initiative, told The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Obama’s rhetoric, pro-lifers say, does not match reality.
Since Mr. Obama has been in office, Ms. Dannenfelser claims he has being providing the abortion industry a bailout of their own. He has been a staunch supporter of abortion rights and supported measures to increase the ease of receiving an abortion.
“If Americans weren’t paying attention to President Obama’s abortion bailout agenda before, they should pay attention now. This is just the most recent in a long line of actions by President Obama to placate the abortion industry — actions that fail to match his words with regard to abortion policy,” the pro-life advocate said.
The Constitution says Congress has legislative authority over the District and, therefore, the city’s budget must be appropriated by Congress. If Congress repeals the Dornan Amendment, taxpayer-funded abortions will be the law of the land in the District.
“If Congress goes along with the Obama proposal, the predictable result will be tax funding of several thousand elective abortions annually, including roughly 1,000 abortions annually that would not otherwise occur,” Mr. Johnson said.
Pro-life organizations point to abortion industry studies that show thousands of people are alive in the District today because of the ban on taxpayer-funded abortion. The same studies show that a ban on taxpayer-funded abortions deters up to one-third of abortions.
As the president moves to expand abortion services, a new poll shows the public shifting away from abortion on demand. The poll, released by the Pew Research Center, found support for abortion has fallen by 8 percent nationwide, and the declines were steeper when subgroups were isolated.
“Already this year tens of thousands of Americans have asked Congress to respect the consciences of taxpayers and stop the abortion bailout,” said Ms. Dannenfelser.
“As Congress begins the new appropriations process, it would do well to heed the voices of constituents and stop the flow of taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry.”
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
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