Congressman Mike Pence

Congressman Steve King (R-IA) wrote the following op-ed on the hidden abortion mandate in current health care reform bills being discussed in Congress:

Taxpayers May Be Forced To Fund Abortion
-Rep. Steve King

Ronald Reagan once said "simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn human is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is (alive). And, thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

The wisdom in Reagan's words has been overlooked by liberals on Capitol Hill as they craft sweeping legislation to reform our health care system. Their proposal contains many serious flaws, but perhaps chief among these flaws is the lack of an explicit statement that abortion will not be funded by taxpayer dollars.

Allow me to state what these liberals are doing a different way: their health care bill will force pro-life Americans to pay for abortions. The money we send to the IRS every year will be used to pay for the taking of innocent human life.

While the liberal plan does not actually mention the word abortion, it requires virtually every American to have a health care plan that meets the "minimum benefit standards." These standards will be defined by politically-appointed bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. and will almost certainly require coverage of abortion.

These bureaucrats will serve on a newly created Health Benefits Advisory Committee which will determine what will be mandated under these standards. We know from past experience that unless abortion funding is expressly prohibited it will be mandated and subsidized.

Peter Orszag, a top ranking Obama Administration official, confirmed this in a recent interview. Orszag was asked if taxpayer funded abortions would be included under the health care bill, and his response - "I'm not prepared to rule it out" - is telling. President Obama and liberals in Congress are willing to let unelected bureaucrats determine whether or not abortion should be funded by taxpayers.

Our money should never go against our will to support abortion. The health care bill being pushed through Congress by Washington liberals will force pro-life Americans to pay for abortions in violation of their deeply held religious convictions.

Their bill will also penalize Americans enrolled in health insurance plans that do not provide abortions. Any employer who offers a plan that does not cover abortion will face up to 8% in tax penalties. Individuals who choose not to purchase a plan that covers abortion will be forced to pay a 2.5% tax penalty

I believe many employers across the nation would rather shut down their businesses than pay for health insurance that covers abortion. In these tough economic times, why are we forcing new costs on job-creators, especially when many business owners will find these new costs morally objectionable?

I am committed to defeating any health care bill that mandates abortion funding. Without an explicit statement in their bill that abortion cannot be funded by taxpayer dollars, liberals will create a hidden abortion mandate.

Liberals say they want to reduce abortions in America, yet the policies they are supporting will do the opposite. Forcing taxpayers to fund procedures they find morally reprehensible is immoral.

True health care is about protecting, not taking, life.