Posted by
Billy on Tuesday, December 08, 2009 4:09:02 PM
On Monday, Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Robert Casey
(D-PA) offered an amendment to the Senate health care reform bill that would
ensure that insurance plans are not forced by the government to cover abortions,
and would prohibit federal funding for elective abortions and for insurance
plans that cover elective abortions. This amendment could receive a vote as
early as today .
Even if the Senate passes the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment, which adequately
prohibits both federal funding of abortion and any mandates on insurance plans
to provide abortion coverage, the Senate health care reform bill fails to
provide sufficient protection for the right of conscience. The Senate must add
language mirroring Section 259 of H.R. 3962, which prohibits government entities
from discriminating against health care providers on the basis that they do not
participate in abortions.