President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
On behalf of the millions of Americans represented by our organizations, the undersigned groups urge you to explicitly exclude abortion funding from health care reform legislation. To reflect the national consensus, any bipartisan agreement on health care reform must exclude abortion funding.
Recently as a part of your efforts to revitalize the health care debate, you have proposed a televised bipartisan summit. On February 7, 2010, you told Katie Couric, “Let’s just go through these bills, their ideas, our ideas – let’s walk through them in a methodical way so that the American people can see and compare what makes the most sense.” In light of this renewed commitment to bipartisanship, we therefore urge you to acknowledge the one issue with the greatest bipartisan consensus: an explicit exclusion of public funds for abortion.
American public opinion polling tells us that there can be no greater bipartisan agreement than on the subject of limiting public funds for abortion. An overwhelming majority of Americans—72% according to a recent Quinnipiac poll—oppose using public funds to subsidize abortion in the name of “health care.” Last fall, 64 House Democrats joined their Republican colleagues in the House to pass the Stupak Amendment to exclude abortion funding from the House health care bill. This vote was the single largest bipartisan statement in the health care debate thus far.
The American people want clear language to prevent the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion or any health care plans that cover abortion. This is the status quo, as defined by the Hyde Amendment and numerous longstanding budgetary riders. The only legislative language that will maintain the status quo is the bipartisan Stupak Amendment as passed by the House.
President Obama, on behalf of the 72% of Americans who do not want to pay for abortions, we urge you to take action to uphold the claim you made last year to “protect the consciences of taxpayers.” A successful bipartisan effort on health care must begin with the end in mind —that means jettisoning the issues like abortion funding that offend an overwhelming bipartisan American majority from the start.
We urge you to honor the national consensus against taxpayer funding of abortion on-demand. Please stand true to your word and protect the consciences of the American taxpayers.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Dannenfelser
President, Susan B. Anthony List
Tom McClusky
Sr. Vice President, Family Research Council Action
Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government and Public Policy, Focus on the Family
David Bereit
National Director, 40 Days for Life
Brian Burch
President, CatholicVoteAction.org
Andy Blom
Executive Director, American Principles in Action
Gary Aldrich
Chairman, CNP Action, Inc.
Steven Ertelt
Editor and CEO, Lifenews.com
Penny Pullen
President, Life Advocacy Resource Project
Dr. Pat McEwen
Director, Life Coalition International
Joseph A. Brinck
President, Sanctity of Life Foundation
Dr. Carl Herbster
President, AdvanceUSA
Dorothy Wallis
President, Caring to Love Ministries
Steven W. Mosher
President, Population Research Institute
Samuel E. Ericsson
President, Advocates International
Dana Cody, Esq.
President, Life Legal Defense Foundation
Kristan Hawkins
President, Students for Life of America
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
President, National Pro-life Religious Council
Georgette Forney
President, Anglicans for Life
David Ripley
President, Idaho Chooses Life
Christopher Bell
President, Good Counsel, Inc.
Gary L. Bauer
President, American Values
Rev. Paul Stallsworth
Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality—Lifewatch
Jo Tolck
Executive Director, Human Life Alliance
Penny Young Nance
CEO, Concerned Women for America
Dr. Charmaine Yoest
President, Americans United for Life
Joyce Zounis
Beyond The Bandaide Radio
Jim Hughes
National President, Campaign Life Coalition
Bradley Mattes
Executive Director, Life Issues Institute
J.C. Willke, M.D.
President, Life Issues Institute
Margaret H. Hartshorn, Ph.D.
President, Heartbeat International
Theresa Bonopartis
Director, Lumina/Hope Healing After Abortion
