Rep. Smith doubts Obama’s claim of no federal funding for abortion

Washington D.C., Sep 10, 2009 / 17:52 pm

In comments following President Obama’s address to Congress regarding health care reform, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) expressed reservation about the president’s statement that under the new health care reform, “no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion.”

Smith said the president’s statement is not true by referring to Factcheck.org which notes that the current health care reform would “allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans.”

“Killing human babies by abortion is not health care,” Smith stressed, remarking that “Publicly funding and facilitating abortion can in no way be construed as health care reform.”

Smith then charged President Obama of “seeking to ‘pull one over’ on the American public” by denying that the health reform won’t fund abortions.  “Yet even the nonpartisan FactCheck.org has called him on this fallacious and deceptive claim,” he said.

The congressman then called for the president’s accountability.  “If he intends to support the pro-life amendments that have thus far been deleted by pro-abortion members of his party, we welcome that,” said Smith.  “But the truth is that he seeks to cover up his intention to use the government-run public plan to send checks from the U.S. treasury to abortionists around the country.  And, use government subsidies to pay for health care plans that cover abortion.”

Following the president’s meeting Wednesday night, several pro-life leaders have questioned his assertion that “no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion.” 

However, one U.S. Bishops’ Conference official told CNA on Thursday afternoon that President Obama is currently preparing a new proposal on health care reform and last night’s comments about abortion referred to this legislation.