The Republican House will pass the Protect Life Act to negate the ObamaCare tax subsidies for abortion insurance coverage, and also ensure right of conscience for health-care workers.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi opposes the legislation saying that it means that women will “die on the floor of health care providers.”
For background, read Must Take Abortion out of ObamaCare and also read House Strips ObamaCare of Abortion Training Funds as well as Federal Insurance for Abortion isn't Funding Abortion: Sen. Boxer
UPDATE 10/13/11: Bill passes House with help from 15 Democrats
-- From "Pelosi calls abortion bill deadly" by Seung Min Kim, Politico 10/13/11
Pelosi and other Democrats dismissed the bill as a “waste of time” and criticized House GOP leadership for bringing up a bill that isn’t directly related to jobs and the economy – particularly since the abortion legislation has a dim chance in the Democratically-controlled Senate.
Earlier this week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) defended putting the bill on the floor, saying it was part of the House GOP’s “Pledge to America” and they were following through on their promise to voters.
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From "House takes up measure to restrict abortions" by Kathleen Hennessey, Los Angeles Times 10/13/11
The House is slated to vote on the Protect Life Act, which would amend the new healthcare law to prevent federal subsidies from being used to pay for any health insurance plan that covers abortion. The bill also offers legal protection for hospitals that refuse to perform abortions.
The measure is part of a continued effort to distance the federal government and its dollars from healthcare providers that perform the procedure. Its provisions are similar to legislation already passed by the House in May. The Senate blocked the bill and is expected to do the same to this legislation.
Advocates argue Republicans are trying to codify and expand on the long-standing policy known as the Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal money in Medicaid and other government programs for abortion -- except in cases of rape, incest or a danger to the life of the woman.
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From "House Approves Bill to Stop Abortion Funding in Obamacare" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 10/13/11
H.R. 358, Protect Life Act, makes it clear that no funds authorized or appropriated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), including tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, may be used to pay for abortion or abortion coverage. It specifies that individual people or state or local governments must purchase a separate elective abortion rider or insurance coverage that includes elective abortion but only as long as that is done with private funds and not monies authorized by Obamacare.
The bill also specifies that insurance issuers may offer health plans that include elective abortion and may offer separate elective abortion riders, so long as they ensure PPACA funds are not used for premiums or administrative costs. The bill also clarifies that issuers who offer elective abortion coverage must also offer a qualified health benefits plan that is identical except that it does not cover elective abortion.
The pro-life measure also ensures that state laws “protecting conscience rights, restricting or prohibiting abortion or coverage or funding of abortion, or establishing procedural requirements on abortion” are not abrogated by Obamacare. It also makes it so any state or local governments receiving funding under Obamacare may not subject any health care entity to discrimination or require any health plan to subject any entity to discrimination on the basis that it refuses to undergo abortion training, refuses to require abortion training, refuses to perform or pay for abortions, or refuses to provide abortion referrals.
Should Obama veto the bill, he would violate his own promise to support a ban on abortion funding under Obamacare.
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Also read Raise Health Insurance Rates, White House Plans: Birth Control as well as Bishops vs. ObamaCare on Right of Conscience
