Will Pelosi's health 'care' fund late-term abortions?
Bob Unruh - WND
Former Kansas state AG cites Sebelius' advocacy for procedures
A former Kansas state attorney general says the Democrats' health-care proposal is alarming because it allows Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the former governor of Kansas, to decide when the government should pay for abortions.
"Well, let's take a quick look at what Gov. Sebelius supported in Kansas," wrote former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline in a newsletter on the issues. "Late-term abortions on viable children were performed, for instance, because a prospective mother did not want to hire a babysitter when she attended the concert of her favorite rock band.
"Another example: a desire to compete in the current rodeo season was sufficient to justify the termination of the life of a perfectly viable unborn child just a few weeks before natural childbirth," he wrote.
Kline knows the subject: He investigated the late-term abortion corporations operating in Kansas while he was the state's chief law enforcement officer and brought charges. But behind a massive influx of financial support from abortion interests, Kansas elected a pro-abortion AG, replacing Kline, who then became a district attorney and continued his prosecution of abortion-business leader Planned Parenthood.
The case against Planned Parenthood, however, remains in limbo now, he said, because a pro-abortion judge picked by Sebelius for the state Supreme Court ordered a witness in the case not to testify.
WND has reported U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, confirmed the health-care plan pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., contains a "monthly abortion premium" for participants of a proposed government insurance company.
The issue of abortion funding in the Democratic plan has been contentious, with many moderate Democrats who recognize their constituents oppose mandating taxpayer funding for abortion concerned about the underlying support for the industry in the proposals.
GOP members have opposed the health-care plan for a multitude of reasons, including abortion funding.
On his House blog, Boehner said the plan sets up funding for abortion-industry leaders that could include Planned Parenthood.
"Health care reform should not be used as an opportunity to use federal funds to pay for elective abortions," Boehner wrote. "Health reform should be an opportunity to protect human life – not end it."
But, he said, line 17 of page 110 of Pelosi's 2,032-page plan specifically states, "Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed."
There, Boehner explained, the Health and Human Services Secretary "is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan."
That, Kline warned, is a problem.
"As governor of Kansas, now-Secretary Sebelius received her greatest political support from Planned Parenthood and [abortionist] George Tiller. The support was well-earned as Gov. Sebelius appointed a Kansas Supreme Court that worked to thwart legitimate investigations of the two abortion providers and also recruited and helped fund an attorney general candidate who would refuse to pursue legitimate charges against Sebelius' benefactors," he said.
"It is not surprising that the left would now look to Sebelius to usher in mandated federal funding of elective abortion. Planned Parenthood already receives over $300 million of federal tax dollars, however, the push is to expand the market for abortion on demand. This is why Speaker Pelosi's 2,032-page health care 'reform' bill contains public funding for abortion … and allows Secretary Sebelius to determine what abortions are covered. The bill also mandates a minimum $1 a month premium per enrollee for abortions."
Kline noted the late-term abortions took place in Kansas even though there was a state law allowing such abortions only when two doctors find the mother will "suffer severe and irreversible damage to a major bodily function."
Thus, his alert concluded, "rodeo" and a "concert" become a "major bodily function."
Kline said those who are concerned about vast new taxpayer dollar amounts going to the abortion industry should review what happened in Kansas. He said Sebelius had teamed with Planned Parenthood to sponsor a pro-abortion opponent and remove Kline from office.
"Why all of this focus on Kansas? Because Planned Parenthood was being investigated for criminal late-term abortion and if charges were eventually proven, federal law requires the loss of all federal funding," he said.
While his state and district level prosecutions have stalled, Kline said it is a foreshadowing of what could happen nationally.
"Imagine what she will do with the nation and millions of mandated premiums for abortion services," he said.