Betty Sutton Wants Health Care With Abortion?
AUDIO CLIP: Sutton On HR3200 & Abortions
The 13th district Tele-Town-Hall may have been a flop, but it did provide concrete reference points regarding Rep. Betty Sutton’s understanding of H.R. 3200 and the potential implications of the bill if passed. For now, I won’t go as far as to say that our congresswoman lied about abortion funding, but I do question her understanding of the the complex bill.
President Obama, Secretary Sebeilus, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid and Congresswoman Sutton have repeatedly told us that the health care proposal under consideration does not include provisions to cover abortion. Perhaps that is true, but if these supporters of the plan aren’t misleading us, then why is our legislative branch unwilling to attach language that explicitly forbids the funding of abortion. Such amendments have come up and each time they are defeated. Could it be that there is a little abortion in there after all?
Recently, there was an informative opinion article on abortion funding published by the Washington Times. In that article, Charmain Yoest laid out the ways federal funding of abortion could easily entrench itself into national health reform without being written into the bill.
Yoest points out that it all comes down to the definition of health care – not today, but in the future. H.R. 3200 may not state, “the federal government will not pay for abortion,” but it does cover health care and if groups like Planned Parenthood have their way, the definition of health care will soon include abortion. A single change in definition by our court system will magically cause the people of Ohio’s thirteenth district to be on the hook for federally subsidized abortions.
A simple solution to block this loophole has been offered by Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan. Certainly amid her busy schedule of parades, chili cook offs, fundraisers and speaking engagements Sutton could find time to show support for Stupak’s amendment. Not so. In fact, when the amendments came up for a committe vote on 7/31/09 Betty voted them down.
On an amendment that would excluded any mandate for abortion coverage, except to save the
mother’s life and in cases of rape or incest. Betty Sutton voted NO.
On an amendment specifying that no funds authorized by the Act may be used to pay for any abortion or cover the costs of any health plan that includes coverage for abortion, except to save the mother’s life or in cases of rape or incest. Betty Sutton voted NO.
When asked if the representative would support Stupak’s fight for a vote on the Hyde Amendment, Betty Sutton’s office said she does not support Stupak because H.R. 3200 does not provide federal funding for abortions.
If the representative is unwilling to support Stupak or the Hyde Amendment, perhaps she could use her leadership skills to craft her own amendment to keep federal funds from paying for abortions under H.R. 3200. After all, she told us at the Tele-Town-Hall that H.R. 3200 would not pay for abortions. It’s time for the representative to back those words with action. It would only take a moment and would show that she represents the values of her constituents in the 13th district.
Rep. Sutton, if you won’t support Stupak’s Amendment, you see no need for the Hyde Amendment, and you won’t speak up to demand that such language be added before the big vote, then what are we to think of you and your intentions? Are you planning another program, perhaps “Cash for fetuses?”
It just might be time to change my opinion of you. In the words of Congressman Joe Wilson… You Lie.
Sutton’s Record on Abortion
- 2008 Representative Sutton supported the interests of Planned Parenthood 100% of the time.
- 2007-2008 Representative Sutton supported the interests of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association 100% of the time.
- 2007 In 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Representative Sutton a grade of 100.
record data: VoteSmart.org
Rep. Steve Driehaus, OH-1 D
