Posted on 04/04/2013 10:45:19 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Virginia House and Senate voted Wednesday to ban abortion coverage in insurance plans sold through the health care exchange that will be set up in compliance with the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare." The amendment was proposed by the state's governor, Bob McDonnell.
Senate Democrats were hoping to block the measure, but failed when two Democrats joined Republicans to move the amendment forward, according to NBC Washington.
The state had already passed a similar amendment in 2011 but a new amendment was necessary because Virginia opted to let the federal government set up the exchange rather than set up the exchange itself. The amendment was added to bills setting up state oversight of the exchanges.
The amendment reads: "No qualified health insurance plan that is sold or offered for sale through an exchange established or operating in the Commonwealth shall provide coverage for abortions, regardless of whether such coverage is provided through the plan or is offered as a separate optional rider thereto … ."
"Governor McDonnell has always maintained a pro-life stance," said Jeff Caldwell, a spokesman for McDonnell. "These amendments continue a policy established by the General Assembly in 2011 when it passed initial legislation to govern the possibility of a state-run health exchange. While Virginia has now notified the federal government that it will participate in a federal exchange, the policy toward restricting federal funding from paying for abortions as part of this exchange has not changed."
Delegate & Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Charniele Herring called the amendment "extreme" and complained that Virginia Republicans were "injecting themselves into decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor."
Susan B. Anthony List, a national pro-life organization that lobbied for the amendment, called on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe to state his position on the measure.
"Virginia voters deserve to know where Terry McAuliffe stands on taxpayer funding of abortion. This commonsense amendment was opposed by his top political allies, Planned Parenthood and NARAL. The voters deserve to know if he stands with them, or with the big abortion lobby," SBA List said in a press release.
According to SBA List's Charlotte Lozier Institute, at least 20 states have now banned abortion coverage in their health care exchanges.
Good for them!!
Talk about Obamacare “unintended consequences”.
Oh my. That’s gonna leave a mark.
(let the leftie screeching begin)
Whenever a Republican president comes along, the screech is, “{Insert name of Republican president} won’t let me do what I want with my body”.
It will be interesting to see where all the hate will be directed, since the left’s god Hussein can do no wrong.
I saw a comment like that on an IBD article where they were talking about people moving to freer states.
Some screechy fem commented that it depends on how you define freedom. She said that ND had just passed the most restrictive law ever. Apparently for her, “freedom” is defined by how easily you can kill the human consequences of fornication.
The screeching from the infanticide-ists must be ear splitting right now in VA and beyond.
“Apparently for her, “freedom” is defined by how easily you can kill the human consequences of fornication.”
Their God-given “right” to murder their own unborn children.
The leftist freaks aren’t human(e) by any standard.
All they know is Democrat GOOD, Republican BAD, and that the ends justify the means.
Exhibit number 656445 as to why State’s Rights are actually a very good thing!
The fact that their implementing an exchange at all is crewing the entire state population to be subject to an individual mandate.
...two Democrats joined Republicans to move the amendment forward...
I've always been of the opinion that promotion of abortion is a deliberate distraction strategy. The people who push abortion want control over every aspect of everyone's life. They want us to be so convinced that being able to abort our children up to the point where they become financially independent (tiny exaggeration) is proof of how much freedom we have, that we don't notice just how many restrictions they place on just about everything we do.
Similarly, we're supposed to think that medical coverage begins and ends with access to abortion--the intended rationing of every health-related medical service is irrelevant, since we can abort at any time.
I'm not hoodwinked. Ditch the abortion. I'd rather have freedom and my choice of whatever medical procedures I can afford.
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