Health Care and Abortion

Amidst the discussions in Washington over health care reform lurks the issue of abortion. Not much has been said lately about the issue. Many in Washington have been content to ignore the topic in the interest of moving the bill forward, most notably, President Obama. But the issue is there and it will have to be addressed sooner or later.

It will not be an easy issue to resolve. It cuts across both parties. It will not be enough to overcome Republican opposition to its inclusion. There are many Democrats that will have to be accommodated as well. Obama stated that he doesn't want to change the government's policy on abortion. If this is true, he is one of few in the nation.

Many politicians in Washington would just like the issue to go away. Life would be much easier if there was a way to simply tip toe around the issue. Life would be even better if it could be ignored. But it can't. It is a divisive topic that, after over 30 years, still stirs great debate and emotion. There is no indication that the the debate over abortion will go away. Obama is pleading with Democrats to overcome their division over the issue. He is on the threshold of history and he needs their support.

Obama has sought to reassure abortion rights supporters by telling them that his legislation will not change government policy. But that policy itself is one that has done little if anything to soften the debate. Indeed, it has often contributed to it. He has also sought to appease anti-abortion groups through assurances that national health care will not wind up funding abortions. They have little reason to be assured. Self imposed restraints have proven to be flimsy bulwarks against government expansion. Pro-choice groups want reassurance that national health care will not infringe or encroach upon abortion rights that have been so long and desperately fought for. The passionate on both sides of the issue are vigilant and on the watch for appeasement. They do not get along and they are determined not to coexist. No matter what Obama or Congress does, they are going to antagonize one group or the other.

It is inevitable that when Obama has to choose, he will choose pro-choice over pro-life, as will most Democrats in Congress. They have to. Their political lives depend on it. The same is true for many Republicans. They will have to oppose extending coverage to include abortion if they hope to be reelected.

Conservatives have greater cause to be suspicious of Obama's assurances. Abortion rights have been extended relentlessly over the years. There is no reason to think that they are going to remain fixed, let alone retreat. A government that supports and funds abortion will be unlikely to long observe any self imposed restraint on the issue. Just because Obama promises not to include abortion coverage in the bill today does not mean someone will not do so tomorrow. Unless withholding funding from abortion is explicit in the bill, sooner or later the government will wind up funding it. You can count on that. There will be too much pressure not to do so.

Later this year, when Democrats hit the road for reelection, they will be relying upon an enthusiastic Democratic Party. If that party wants federal health care to cover abortion, its leaders will accommodate them. And, if they do so, they will be handing Republicans a campaign issue such as one they usually can only hope for. Abortion is still an open wound in American politics. National health care will assure that wound is picked at. As much as Speaker Pelosi might protest, the health care bill under consideration is not simply about "providing quality affordable health care for all Americans." Nothing Washington does is that simple. To say otherwise is disingenuous or naive. And Pelosi is not naive.

30 years after segregation was ended, no one was arguing that it should be reinstated. 30 years after women were given the right to vote, no one was arguing that their right to vote should be rescinded. 30 years after laws against intermarriage were found unconstitutional, no one was insisting that decision be overturned. Yet, over 30 years after abortion was deemed a right, a bitter debate continues. That should tell us a lot about the issue. Clearly there is something about abortion that grates on human nature.