22 Dec 09: Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) would not vote for the health bill unless federal funds would not fund abortions. After he made a deal, the bill apparently became satisfactory to him – new abortion language, and an exemption for Nebraska for Medicaid payments, gave Senator Nelson the incentive to vote in favor of the bill. In fact, this abortion language compromise solves none of the abortion-related problems in the bill. The compromise merely allows states to opt out of abortion funding on a state-by-state basis. When a state opts out, the taxes paid by that state’s residents would still be used to fund abortions in other states. This is merely another accounting trick.
I believe that life is sacred from conception. No government money should be used to fund abortions.