An open letter from Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper about the ban on federal funding of elective abortions:

Dear Friends,

Protecting the unborn was, is and always will be one of my most deeply held personal values.

That's why when confronted with my own unplanned pregnancy at 21, I chose life. It's a decision I've never regretted.

I've taken my pro-life values with me to Washington and have fought to preserve the sanctity of life. I helped ensure that the first health care reform bill prevented federal funding of abortion.  When the Senate refused to put those same protections in place for the unborn, I stood firm against pro-choice groups in Washington.

Pro-life Members of Congress like me kept a hard line: no federal funding could be used for elective abortion through the new health care reform. Period.

Our work paid off when the president signed a rock-solid executive order to do just that—clearly ban the use of federal funds for elective abortions in the new health care reform law.

Now, politically-motivated groups are making false claims that Pennsylvania's new high-risk insurance pool, which offers affordable health insurance to the people in our community who have been refused by private insurers because of a “pre-existing condition,” will use federal funds for elective abortions.

That is simply untrue.

The nonpartisan, independent fact-checking organization PolitiFact rated this claim as FALSE.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has clearly stated, “Pennsylvania will – and has always intended to – comply with the federal ban on abortion funding in the coverage provided through our federally funded high risk pool.”

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the federal agency who will provide the funding, has clearly said, “In Pennsylvania and in all other states abortions will not be covered in the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) except in the cases of rape or incest, or where the life of the woman would be endangered.”

And just in case the message was not clear, I called on HHS Secretary Sebelius to explicitly tell the states that they must strictly follow the ban on federal funding of abortion, or lose their federal funding altogether.

It's all there in black & white: no federal funds will be used for elective abortions in Pennsylvania or anywhere else in the United States.

Preserving the sanctity of life is an issue that Western Pennsylvanians care about passionately, and so do I. That's why I wanted to give you the facts.

If you would like further information about this or any other topic, please email me or call my office at 1-877-KATHY 4U (528-4948).

Sincerely,

Kathy Dahlkemper