Anti-Choice Groups Ignore Facts In New Ad
Stop the Abortion Mandate has joined together with Americans United for Life and the Susan B. Anthony List to air an anti-choice ad on CNN. However, since Congress is fighting to ensure federal funds are not used for abortion and most Americans think that message is just a scare tactic, the ad seems to have been a waste of money for the three groups.
Anti-Choice Ad
Stop the Abortion Mandate Ad: "It's a fact that an unborn child has a heartbeat and that abortion stops it. Do you want your tax dollars to pay for abortions in health care reform? 71% of Americans don't want to either. [On screen citation: Zogby Int, 12/08] But pro-abortion politicians are planning to use your tax dollars to fund abortion in health care reform. President Obama: 'No federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.' But the current health care proposals do fund abortion. Tell Congress now to explicitly exclude abortion from health care." [YouTube.com, accessed 11/10/09]
The Stupak Amendment Passed The House, Restricting Even Private Funding For Abortions
House Stupak Amendment Restricts Private Insurance Coverage Of Abortion. By a vote of 240 to 194, the House passed the Stupak "amendment that would impose tight restrictions on abortions that could be offered through a new government-run insurance plan and through private insurance that is bought using government subsidies." [New York Times, accessed 11/10/09]
Even Before The House Passed Health Care Reform, Congress Included Language Prohibiting Federal Dollars From Being Used For Abortion
Senate Plan Explicitly Prohibits Federal Funding Of Abortion Outside Hyde Amendment Rules. According to PolitiFact.com: "The Baucus plan explicitly states that no federal funds - whether through tax credits or cost-sharing credits - could be used to pay for abortions (again, except for rape, incest, or the life of the mother). Insurers participating in any state-based exchange that offers coverage for abortion 'must segregate from any premium and cost-sharing credits an amount of each enrollee's private premium dollars that is determined to be sufficient to cover the provision of those services.'" [PolitiFact.com, 9/21/09, parentheses original]
AP: House Compromise Forbids Federal Funding From Paying For Abortions. The Associated Press reported: "A compromise approved by a House committee last week...would allow the public plan to cover abortion but without using federal funds, only dollars from beneficiary premiums..." [Associated Press, 8/6/09]
Most Americans Think The Ad's Message Is A Scare Tactic
61% Of Americans Think The Phrase "Government Money Would Be Used To Pay For Abortions" Is A Scare Tactic. During a Bloomberg poll (of 1,004 Americans and with a margin of error of 3.1) conducted from September 10-14, 2009, in response to being asked if they thought the argument "Government money would be used to pay for abortions" was a legitimate issue, a distortion, or a scare tactic, 33% said it was legitimate, 6% were unsure, and 61% of Americans said the argument was a scare tactic. [Bloomberg Poll via PollingReport.com, accessed 9/28/09]
87% Of Employer-Based Plans Cover Abortion
Most Private Health Insurance Plans Currently Cover Abortions. According to the Associated Press: "A Guttmacher Institute study found that 87 percent of typical employer plans covered abortion in 2002, while a Kaiser Family Foundation survey in 2003 found that 46 percent of workers in employer plans had coverage for abortions. The studies asked different questions, which might help explain the disparity in the results." [Associated Press, 8/5/09]
Most Americans Support Abortion Coverage
A Majority Of Americans Support Some Sort Of Abortion Coverage. The Mellman Group found that 66% of Americans support covering abortion under reform measures and 72% "would feel angry if Congress mandated by law that abortion would not be covered under a national health care plan." [Mellman Group Poll via the National Women's Law Center, 7/6/09]
82% Of Americans Support Abortion In At Least Some Cases. During an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted October 22-25, 2009, to the following statement - "Which of the following best represents your views about abortion? The choice on abortion should be left up to the woman and her doctor. Abortion should be legal only in cases in which pregnancy results from rape or incest or when the life of the woman is at risk. OR, Abortion should be illegal in all circumstances" - respondents answered:
Woman and Doctor: 51%
Rape, Incest, Life of Woman: 31%
Always Illegal: 15%
Unsure: 3%
[NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, 10/22-25/09, via PollingReport.com]
