ABORTION

- Another side of the coin.

 When, in the course of a Society, the element of change is introduced, there seems to be an appropriate, opposite, and equal knee-jerk reaction from one, or another, group in that Society. So it has been with our Nation’s struggle on the issue of abortion, and it may be interesting to note that modern society in the United States has wrestled with the question since its inception.

If we were living in Church-State, all this would have been settled long ago, but we don’t. Our style of democracy has been crafted in such a manner as to dictate a “separation of Church and State”. The founding Fathers of this Country wrote a Constitution that greatly reflected the reasons for rebelling and forming a sovereign Nation which were exactly that; a true separation of two strong entities that mix about as well as oil and water: Church and State.

The best of my research points to the fact that the U.S. Government has never actually paid for a woman to have an abortion with exceptions under three very precise conditions. Being criminally involved, or medically compromised are the only areas our government has a constitutional mandate to step in and protect women.

This, from “factcheck.org.”

Q: Will all legal abortions be covered by federally subsidized health insurance policies in state "high-risk pools"?

A: No. The Department of Health and Human Services says the only abortions covered will be those in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is endangered.

Statement of HHS Spokeswoman Jenny Backus on the Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan Policy

As is the case with FEHB plans currently, and with the Affordable Care Act and the President’s related Executive Order more generally, in Pennsylvania and in all other states abortions will not be covered in the Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) except in the cases of rape or incest, or where the life of the woman would be endangered.

Our policy is the same for both state and federally-run PCIP programs. We will reiterate this policy in guidance to those running the Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan at both the state and federal levels. The contracts to operate the Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan include a requirement to follow all federal laws and guidance.

The U.S. Constitution does stipulate that the Government is responsible for protecting its citizens form enemies both foreign and domestic. Domestic law enforcement enables our Government to protect us inside our borders.

**Footnote: Seeing Though the Smoke

It would be easy to miss the fact that Pennsylvania’s official solicitation called for coverage of all state-legal abortions. The press release issued by the state insurance department on June 28, announcing the new program, made no mention of abortion at all. Intrepid readers could click through to find the official solicitation document describing the program more fully, but it contained phrasing the casual reader could interpret as restricting abortion coverage rather than permitting it.

At one point the document states: "Elective abortions are not covered" (page 14). But the term "elective" isn’t defined, and so isn’t very meaningful.

The operative language starts on page 12, where it says: "The benefit package will include the following core of specific services …" followed by a long list that includes, on page 14, "only abortions and contraceptives that satisfy the requirements of 18 Pa.C.S. § 3204-3206 and 35 P.S. §§10101, 10103-10105." Those are the sections of Pennsylvania law that cover abortion. So — when all the verbal smoke is cleared away — the solicitation states that the program "will" cover "only" abortions that are legal. That doesn’t leave out much.

The first section cited, for instance (Section 3204), allows abortions that a physician deems "necessary … in the light of all factors (physical, emotional, psychological, familial and the woman’s age) relevant to the well-being of the woman." The only abortions that the state law forbids a doctor from finding "necessary" are those "sought solely because of the sex of the unborn child." [1]

We asked the state insurance department how that official document can be squared with its July 15 press release saying women would have to pay for abortions out of their own pocket. Department spokeswoman Melissa Fox told us this, in a July 21 e-mail message:

Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s Fox: Due to the aggressive time-frame to submit proposals Pennsylvania, as well as other states, I’m sure, needed to insert "placeholder" language absent specific guidance from the federal government on the benefit package. That was the case not just for the abortion issue, but also mental health benefits. Once the clarifying guidelines are issued, the language in the proposal will be adjusted accordingly.

So the story now is that in the haste to meet a deadline, "placeholder" language was inserted, to be adjusted later. But whatever Pennsylvania officials intended, the stated federal policy is now clear: No abortions will be covered by the temporary risk pools except for those in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother.

– Brooks Jackson

Source:

http://www.factcheck.org/2010/07/taxpayer-funded-abortions-in-high-risk-pools/

Via other means, the Government has made it safer and more readily available for those women who make the choice of aborting an unborn fetus/child. Making the abortion process safer and more available, a long standing problem of “collateral” medical damage has been avoided. In the same way we don’t condemn men for getting vasectomies, or using condoms, a women’s right to choose should run as true to our National Heritage of democratic rule. If indeed any religion or church should feel that women must regard a fertilized egg in the womb to be the point at which life begins, then that postulate is their Constitutional right within the confines of their congregation. That, then, becomes an issue between the woman and her church.

The one guarantee that our Constitution does afford is the right to practice religion as one sees fit. The question of allowing women their right to choose on this issue boils down to a moral and religious question. The United States Government is not in the business of legislating morality or religion, and that is as it should be in a democratic system of governance.

In conclusion, I would ask that the Federal and State governments get on the same page and revisit any and all “laws” regarding abortion, so the public has an absolutely clear definition of a woman’s protection under the law. [1] I would also make one small suggestion that law regarding abortion should, most definitely, be written by women, not men. I am, obviously, taking the position that a woman has every right to make her own decision about abortion and any other uniquely female issue.

[1]: Rewriting vague and obtuse laws to be exacting in their intent and content.