Health Care Critical Update – Immediate Attention Requested

(October 29, 2009) – Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), unwrapped a revised health care bill in the House of Representatives that attempts to craft a compromise between the three previous bills approved by separate House committees over the summer. The massive bill (entitled H.R. 3962) includes a "public option" and upon preliminary study, pro-life leaders are concerned that the bill will retain the same problematic areas regarding sanctity of life issues that were included in the previous bills. You can download a copy of this new version here: http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf.

The 1,990-page House bill is anticipated to be very similar to a bill currently under development by the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who is working to combine the two senate bills that emerged out of committee earlier by the Senate Finance Committee (S. 1796) and the Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (S. 1697).

LCMS Life Ministries will embark on a pro-life study of this new House bill and the compromise Senate bill and analysis will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, it is important to know that Pelosi intends to bring this new House bill to a vote sometime next week, on or around November 5th or 6th. Additionally, it is important that pro-life congressmen have the opportunity to offer up an amendment on the floor of the House that would clarify the language in the bill in order to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used for abortion. Pro-life representative Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) feels that the topic of whether public funds should be used for abortion services should be debated openly on the floor of the House of Representatives. He and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) have introduced an amendment that includes language similar to the Hyde Amendment that would prevent subsidies for abortion. The Hyde Amendment has formed the policy precedent in the U.S. since 1976.

According to Rep. Stupak, "The Hyde language simply says taxpayer dollars should not be used to pay for those services. Just as the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) does not provide plans that cover abortion services, nor should the plans for individuals who enter into the public option or receive federal subsidies for healthcare cover abortions. They are free to purchase a supplemental plan or pay for these services with their own money should they so choose" (http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/65297-i-am-not-trying-to-kill-health-reform-abortion-issue-is-key).

However, the current Hyde Amendment would not apply to these new reform efforts because the law must be renewed annually, and it applies only to tax dollars that are appropriated through the annual appropriations bill which funds the Department of Health and Human Services.

In the currently proposed bills, which include a "public plan" (or "consumer option" as Speaker Pelosi prefers to call it) and premium subsidy programs, abortion could be funded through other legislative pipelines, and the Hyde Amendment would not apply to these new programs. According to Rep. Stupak, new language similar to the previous Hyde language is needed to clarify the bill and congressmen should be allowed to vote on such an amendment on the House floor.

Unfortunately, congressmen may not be afforded this opportunity. Since Pelosi is seeking to swiftly bring this new health care bill before the House for a vote next week, she may not allow consideration of this critical pro-life amendment put forth by Reps. Stupack and Pitts. By imposing a measure informally called "the closed rule" or no-amendment procedure, she can prevent any amendments from being considered on the floor before the entire health care bill is voted upon.

The Associated Press reported on October 23, "Such an amendment would be almost certain to prevail, since it likely would attract the votes of most Republicans as well as some Democrats. So Democratic leaders won't let Stupak offer it."

LCMS Life Ministries is urging every pro-life citizen to immediately call the office of his or her representative in the U.S. House of Representatives with a clear and firm message urging a no vote on the no-amendment procedure on H.R. 3962. This will allow the bi-partisan pro-life amendment from Rep. Stupack and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) to be considered on the House floor.

In order to contact congressmen and express your opinion on health care, log on to the National Right to Life Action Center link: http://www.nrlactioncenter.com. Click on the tab "elected officials" and enter your zip code. You will be shown the phone number and information for your local, state, and national elected officials.