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Privatize Abortion Funding to Save Health Care Reform

Independent fund could finance procedures, diffuse criticisms of govt. plan

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 13, 2009 6:04 PM CDT

(Newser) – Abortion threatens to derail the push for health care reform, as opponents use the prospect of subsidized procedures to turn pro-life Americans against the whole plan, writes Meredith Simmons for Slate. Progressives are indignant—abortion is a health procedure, they argue, and should be covered like any other. But excluding abortions may be the only way to make any reform politically palatable. Privatizing abortion funding could give both sides what they want.

Simmons proposes establishing a private fund to cover abortions for low-income women, at a projected cost of $311 million a year. That funding already exists in a sense—$250 million of the $1 billion given to pro-choice charities in 2007 was earmarked specifically for abortion procedures. Only a slight reallocation would be needed to "cover abortions for every poor woman in the United States."

In this June 6, 2009, file photo, protesters demonstrate during the funeral of slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller at College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan.
In this June 6, 2009, file photo, protesters demonstrate during the funeral of slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller at College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan.   (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Abortion opponents attend a rally on the National Mall in Washington Jan. 22,2009.
Abortion opponents attend a rally on the National Mall in Washington Jan. 22,2009.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Privatization won't satisfy pro-choicers or pro-lifers. But it might secure passage of a health care bill that Americans on both sides can live with. That's worth a shot.
- Meredith Simons

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 28 comments
Snarfeh
Aug 15, 2009 5:08 AM CDT
@hypethang - God emailed me to ask me if I could relay to you that He does not appreciate you speaking on His behalf. He said He prefers Deebles as His spokesperson at Newser because she is funnier than you. I'd forward the email to ya if I had your email addy, but.....alas...
Snarfeh
Aug 15, 2009 5:01 AM CDT
@dan - you're not exactly the Grammar King, bub...
Snarfeh
Aug 15, 2009 5:00 AM CDT
@derni - ^5! They don't want to pay for abortions for the *poor* out of their taxes and THEN they bitch about how many children the poor have and how much welfare is used to support them. THEN, to top it off, they don't want gays to adopt orphans! wtf?

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