Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The so-called economic stimulus bill the Senate approved on Tuesday contains a bailout package for Planned Parenthood that will give the abortion giant hundreds of millions of dollars to promote birth control. President Barack Obama is soon expected to sign the bill into law.
Specifically, a provision buried deep in the legislation clears the way for expanded federal funding of contraceptives through Medicaid for those who aren't even poor.
A Clinton-era program allows states to seek a waiver to offer Medicaid “family planning” services -- including people who are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. If they seek the waiver, the federal government matches the state funding with $9 for every $1.
Naturally, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards was elated by the news.
"We finally did it. It wasn't easy, but after two long years of working with Congress, I'm happy to report [the provision was included]," Richards told supporters in an email.
Richards made the provision appear as if it inflated the price of birth control for women even though the lack of the provision merely failed to give Planned Parenthood a taxpayer-funded reimbursement for providing birth control at reduced costs to some women.
The House included the Planned Parenthood bailout in its version of the spending bill, but Obama had to instruct House Democrats to remove the provision because it engendered so much opposition it threatened to derail the bill.
Senate Democrats snuck the provision back in the measure they have sent to Obama and with the Senate having a more pro-abortion makeup, the provision remained in the legislation without much of a fight.
As a result, all 50 states will now offer Medicaid “family planning” services (including contraception) with the federal government offering the same $9 to $1 match. Although the money doesn't fund abortions directly, it goes to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, which would otherwise have to spend its own money on contraception.
Pro-life advocates say the governmental funds free up Planned Parenthood dollars to promote and perform abortions that it would otherwise have to spend on family planning.
House Republican Leader John Boehner told LifeNews.com during the House debate on the provision that he was dismayed by it.
"Regardless of where anyone stands on taxpayer-funding for contraceptives and the abortion industry, there is no doubt that this once little-known provision in the congressional Democrats’ spending plan has nothing to do with stimulating the economy and creating more American jobs," he said.
"How you can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives – how does that stimulate the economy? You can go through a whole host of issues that have nothing to do with growing jobs in America and helping people keep their jobs," he added.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said after the hubhub about the provision in the House bill, "While [Obama] agrees that greater access to family planning is good policy, the president believes that the funding for it does not belong in the economic recovery and reinvestment plan."
However, that will not likely prevent him from signing the Senate-passed spending bill anyway.
The House debate on the provision also contained an interesting moment which saw House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defending the provision and appearing to indicate she thought children were a burden to the economy.
"Well, the family-planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost," she said on ABC.
That drew guffaws from groups throughout the pro-life movement.
Printed from: http://www.lifenews.com/nat4899.html
Copyright © 2003-2006 LifeNews.com. All rights reserved. For free daily/weekly pro-life news, email us at news@LifeNews.com.
