Federal Protect Life Act to remove abortion in Obamacare

Pro-Life Action League envelopes NARAL supporter headed to hear Sebelius (photo by Matt Yonke)

Yesterday at a Chicago NARAL fundraiser, 300 attendees gave some of their loudest applause (according to the AP) to HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ mention of the Obama administration mandate that health insurance plans cover birth control without copays.

But beyond the ever faithful pro-life presence of the Pro-Life Action League, another rebuke to Sebelius was today’s good news that the U.S. House will be voting next week on a pro-life bill to UNDO abortion in Obamacare.

HR 358 the “Protect Life Act” is sponsored by Congressman Joe Pitts, and co-sponsored by all four Kansas U.S. Representatives:  Tim Huelskamp, 1st district; Lynn Jenkins, 2nd district; Kevin Yoder, 3rd district; and Mike Pompeo, 4th district. Express your support here.

UPDATE,Oct.13: In a 248-173 vote, the House approved the Protect Life Act, however Senate Democrats oppose it and President Obama has promised to veto it.

Modeled on the former “Stupak-Pitts” amendment, HR 358 would correct the numerous abortion-expanding provisions kept in the final health care law and contains important conscience protections for

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All 4 KS US reps nix tax-funded Obamacare abortion training

KS US Reps Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo, Yoder (photo Alton/CJOnline)

U.S. Congressional reps Tim Huelskamp (1), Lynn Jenkins (2), Kevin Yoder (3), and Mike Pompeo (4) have been voting 100% pro-life for Kansans.  All 4 voted Wednesday for a successful cut-off of abortion-training and protection of medical rights of conscience.

The U.S. House of Representatives today adopted, 234-182, a pro-life amendment offered by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R- NC) and backed by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).(details here)

The amendment sets up conscience protections for “teaching health centers” (THCs) that receive certain federal funds for graduate medical education; it

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Abortion bans, Vinson ruling, 20 govs threaten Obamacare

Douglas Johnson: fed law "abortion truth-detector"

Under Obamacare, states were supposed to start setting up insurance health “exchanges” by January 2013.

Individual states were to be allowed to keep abortion out of their state exchange, and Kansas lawmakers have prepared legislation to insure our future exchange would be abortion-free.

Even then, Kansas taxpayers would be paying for abortions in other state insurance exchanges.

To prevent that, NRLC federal legislation director, Douglas Johnson, testified Wednesday to a House Subcommittee that the “Protect Life Act” (H.R. 358) will correct Obamacare direct abortion subsidies, as well as provisions for abortion-expanding administrative mandates.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the “Protect Life Act” out of committee on Friday.

Johnson, has been the truth detector on Obamacare, blowing the whistle on how its first implementation– insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions– paid for abortions. (HHS later removed that coverage, which can be reversed anytime.)

But two recent developments present significant obstacles to the entire Obamacare law!

1. A ruling for a lawsuit on behalf of 26 states (including Kansas) by Judge Roger Vinson said the entire Obamacare program must be scrapped because the mandate to buy insurance is unconstitutional and there’s no severability clause to save the rest. Utah has now decided it is not bound by Obamacare.
2. Gov. Sam Brownback and 19 other governors have sent a letter this week to HHS warning they may ignore the exchange mandate.  This move affects millions of dollars in “innovation” grants that Kansas’ (pro-abortion) Insurance Commissioner Sandi Praeger was deeply involved in.

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Pro-life Kansans’ hopes rise with Brownback inauguration

Lawmakers gathered at the Statehouse Monday for swearing-in ceremonies were excited about the change in tone this year and told our KFL lobbyists they are revved up to work.

Much of the positivity is set by newly sworn-in Gov. Sam Brownback’s promise to sign pro-life bills, as well as his high aspirations for Kansas.  3 of the top action priorities for his administration’s Protect Kansas Families agenda are pro-life goals:

• Support and defend the dignity of human life;
• Increase adoptions;
• Protect health insurance options.

The first 2 goals have been perennial for Kansans for Life, the third has gained increased importance after the passage of Obamacare.   New Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, announced that the state

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HHS puts End of Life counseling back in Obamacare

Update, Jan.5: Obamacare death panels removed after pro-life backlash.

The euthanasia watchdogs at LifeTree.com released disturbing news Friday that the Sebelius-led HHS is reinstating mandatory end-of-life counseling in the implementation of Obamacare.

After the public outcry last summer about such counseling– called ‘pulling the plug on granny‘– the offending section was removed.

Smart observers, conservative and liberal, recognize that government single-payer insurance (like that of Canada and the U.K.) will necessarily search for mechanisms to reduce the number of medically-expensive elderly and disabled.

Such is the preoccupation of the Kansas City-based Center for Practical Bioethics [CPB], headed by

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KS Sen. Roberts slams Sebelius for ‘gangster’ tactics

The path to rationing and denial of health care under Obamacare is underway and Kansas’ Sen. Pat Roberts is disgusted at the lies and actions about it by HHS Head Kathleen Sebelius.

Senate Republicans were on the Senate floor Tuesday to try to unravel at least parts of Obamacare.  When it was Roberts’ turn, he

slammed Sebelius for threats and behavior, comparing it to ‘Gangster Government’ and urging her to reconsider use of these tactics.

“I am really stunned by my former Governor’s actions over the past year or so.  First it was the gag order on Humana insurance for daring to describe the consequences of slashing more than $100 billion from Medicare Advantage to their customers.  Now [she] explicitly threatens health insurers who don’t toe the line on Obamacare with exclusion from the state health insurance exchanges which start in 2014. “

Roberts said that while some of the provisions that “will be beneficial to some Americans” — like allowing children under age 26 to remain on their parent’s insurance — they won’t be cost-free.  “Instead of admitting that their policies are causing health insurers to raise their rates,” Roberts said, “the Obama Administration has unleashed…Sebelius to intimidate and silence its critics…by intimidation.”

He also railed about Secretary Sebelius’ s taxpayer-financed mailer, sent this summer to seniors across the country, falsely proclaiming that Medicare Advantage enrollees would see no changes.  “Already we are seeing insurers like Harvard Pilgrim drop their Medicare Advantage plans altogether as a result of Obamacare’s huge cuts.  So actually, thousands of seniors WILL see changes in their benefits– they won’t have any.”

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KS Sen. Roberts miffed at rationing czar’s ‘no-show’

Dr. Donald Berwick, an advocate of health care rationing and redistributing wealth through the health-care system, failed to attend a forum gauging his performance so far as the Medicare chief.

Berwick– appointed administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) without a Senate confirmation hearing or vote– will not answer questions from the U.S. Senate, according to Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts and members of the committee with oversight over his nomination.

“We’ve been trying to get him to answer questions in writing. He won’t do that,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). “We’ve been trying to get him up for a hearing. He won’t do that.”  The Senators want to examine Berwick’s “role and background” as he implements the largest overhaul of the healthcare system in 45 years.

Current polls show Americans want that overhaul repealed: 56% (CNN) and 61% (Rasmussen).  Kansans for Life has based our Obamacare opposition on the new ways abortion and rationing have become embedded into health care.  Our parent group, National Right to Life Committee, terms Berwick a “one-man death panel.”

Sen. Roberts’ press release included questions he wants Berwick to respond to and noted,

“The American people deserve to hear Dr. Berwick’s plans for radically reforming the American health care system directly from the man himself.”

“They deserve to hear him explain: His long history of support for rationing; How he plans

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Pro-life Kansas native wins Alaska US Senate GOP primary

Alaska pro-life GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller & wife are former Kansans

Due to his unapologetic pro-life platform, Kansas native Joe Miller beat Alaska’s incumbent U.S.Senator Lisa Murkowski in a shocking upset that nearly went to a recount.

Miller is “unequivocally pro-life,” including opposing abortions for reasons of rape and incest, except “when the mother’s life is in danger.”

Alaska’s pro-life Ballot Measure 2 (which voters also approved) requires parents to be notified before their teen receives an abortion.

Miller pushed parental abortion notice over his own election! He told voters repeatedly: Flip your ballot over, vote ‘yes on 2.’ Before you vote for me, vote ‘yes on 2.’

During the campaign, Miller criticized Murkowski’s support for Roe v. Wade and destructive embryonic stem-cell research, as well as her opposition to the ‘Mexico City Policy’, which prevents American foreign aid dollars from funding abortion.  He supports repealing ‘Obamacare’.

“I pledge to you that if you send me to Washington D.C., there will be no greater advocate for life

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KS Sen. Roberts leading fight vs rationing czar Berwick

Kansas U. S. Senator Pat Roberts is taking on Obamacare– from challenging HHS head Sebelius to correct erroneous consumer health care information to protesting the President’s recess appointment of Medicare &  Medicaid [CMS] chief Donald Berwick.

Yesterday, Sen. Roberts presented a “sense of the Senate” resolution declaring the Berwick appointment “an abuse of power” and calling for Berwick to appear before the Senate Finance Committee to answer questions.

The Senate Finance committee has not scheduled hearings to examine Berwick’s many controversial comments in support of rationing health care, including the philosophy that health care must necessarily redistribute wealth.  In a July 17 speech, Sen. Roberts explained why the installation of Berwick without the Constitutionally-prescribed Senate vetting was so egregious:

• Berwick will control one third of health care spending in the nation,

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Health care “Empress” Sebelius dishonest about rationing

HHS head Kathleen Sebelius empowered 2,500 times in Obamacare provisions

It is becoming more evident that Obamacare will ration health treatment and Kathleen Sebelius –with breath-taking powers as HHS head in the reform provisions — is misleading the public about rationing and her support for it.

Sebelius would not respond Thursday to media questions about the expressed affinity for health rationing by the new nominee to run Medicare and Medicaid, Donald Berwick. She instead praised him, although Berwick has spoken favorably about Britain’s notoriously rationed government-run health system.

A 2002 article Berwick co-wrote on end-of-life care said, “Most people who have serious pain do not need advanced methods; they just need the morphine and counseling that have been available for centuries. Last June, Berwick said,

“The decision is not whether or not we will ration care–the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open”

And last week, Sebelius was excoriated by Kansas lawmakers for her politicized mailer to seniors asserting a glowing outlook

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