House Republicans Won't Abort Redundant Anti-Abortion Legislation

'Protect Life Act' would make guarantees Obama already made on abortion

Even though voters only care about the economy right now, conservative Republicans can't help themselves by avoiding pesky social issues like abortion. Perhaps amped from the Values Voters Summit last week, where Christian, far-right conservatives held forum to talk about everything except the economy, the Republican-controlled House is putting their Protect Life Act bill up for a vote. This bill would guarantee that no federal funds from the healthcare reform bill, which most of them want to repeal, go toward abortion.

Obama already signed an executive order stating that no funds from the healthcare reform bill would be used to terminate pregnancies, which was a condition of it passing. But that apparently is not enough. Given the redundancy of the Protect Life Act, and the fact that there are more pressing issues at hand like unemployment, Obama has said he would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

A statement from the White House on the bill reads:

Longstanding Federal policy prohibits Federal funds from being used for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered. The Affordable Care Act preserved this prohibition and included policies to ensure that Federal funding is segregated from any private dollars used to fund abortions for which Federal funding is prohibited.  The President’s Executive Order 13535 reinforces that Federal funding cannot be used for abortions (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) and ensures proper enforcement of this policy.  H.R. 358 goes well beyond the safeguards found in current law and reinforced in the President’s Executive Order by restricting women’s private insurance choices.