I don’t know the current state of the law, but most people who get their medical care through a government run program are either too old or too young to be of reproductive age. I’m guessing that’s why you don’t hear Republicans foaming at the mouth about Medicaid or SCHIP or Medicare providing funding for abortions. But a public plan for all Americans is apparently another story:
The Senate Finance Committee (SFC), in an effort to make health care into a bi-partisan effort, is considering a restriction on abortion funding with the passage of health care reform. This could mean not allowing a public health insurance plan to cover the cost of abortions for women. It is still unclear under what circumstances this provision would apply, but we want to make sure that you all are aware of what’s going on in the SFC!
The GOP gets a lot of mileage out of the argument that people shouldn’t be forced to indirectly finance a medical procedure that they consider immoral. Here’s hoping that sixty members in the Senate can overcome that argument, because a public health care plan should cover all medical procedures that a woman might need.
Update [2009-7-7 17:11:7 by BooMan]: Here’s the facts about Medicaid and abortion.
