Washington, D.C. – Yesterday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told Roll Call he expects language excluding abortion to be included in the Senate version of health care reform. Reid said, “I expect that the bill that will be brought to the floor will ensure that no federal funds are used for abortion and that the rights of providers, health care facilities, like Catholic hospitals, will be protected, so I believe we can work that out, and we will.”
In response, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser offered the following statement:
“Senator Reid should remember the Nevadans who elected him to defend Life when he is crafting abortion language in the Senate health care reform bill. Abortion is not health care, and Senator Reid’s constituents will not settle for anything less than an authentic abortion exclusion measure.
“There is just simply no room for compromise when human life is at stake. Either you fund abortion or you don’t. Nevadans won’t settle for phony compromises and accounting gimmicks – they deserve authentic safeguards that will ensure not one dime of federal funds subsidizes abortion or health plans that cover abortion. The Senate should respect this status quo, precedent set under the Hyde Amendment. Now is not the time to cave into the scare-tactics and increasing demands from the abortion lobby.
“Senator Reid claims to oppose taxpayer funding for abortion, and he can prove with health care reform. He has the opportunity to stop the greatest expansion of government-backed abortion since Roe v. Wade. Make no mistake – government-sponsored abortion coverage is a stark departure from our long tradition of limiting federal taxpayer-funds for abortion.
“It’s time for Senator Reid to live up to his pro-life self-label. Reid should honor his pro-life commitments and the consciences of the majority of Nevadans by opposing the abortion mandate in health care reform. If he doesn’t, the Susan B. Anthony List will make sure his constituents know the truth, because votes have consequences.”
As part of its Votes Have Consequences project, the Susan B. Anthony List has funded $130,000 in television (video), radio ads and educational phone calls across Nevada calling on Senator Reid to defend Life in health care reform.
For the last several months, the Susan B. Anthony List has mobilized tens of thousands of pro-life Americans nationwide to urge Congress to exclude abortion from healthcare reform. Susan B. Anthony List activists have sent nearly 500,000 letters to Congress requesting an explicit exclusion of abortion from health care reform.
The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 167,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.
CONTACT: Joy Yearout (703) 380-6674 or jyearout [at] www.sbaprolife.org
The SBA Pro-Life America National Pro-life Scorecard is a tool that helps hold members of Congress accountable for their legislative records on life and that highlights leadership in the fight to serve women and save babies.
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