Obama Urges Religious Leaders To 'Speak Truth' On Health Reform

President Obama on Wednesday continued to push for bipartisanship in health reform legislation by reaching out to religious leaders and liberal advocates, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. According to the AP/Chronicle, despite Obama's remarks, some congressional Democrats say privately that the legislation will have to be passed without GOP support. Many Republican members of Congress believe that their conservative base and millions of other Americans are adamantly opposed to Obama's positions, which they claim are too expensive and intrusive. A poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center indicates a drop in approval ratings for Obama and the Democratic Party. According to the AP/Chronicle, some Democrats remain optimistic that the Senate Finance Committee can produce a bipartisan bill.

In an attempt to drum up support for health reform, Obama on Wednesday held a conference call with liberal religious leaders. He said providing health coverage for all U.S. residents is a "core ethical and moral obligation" (Babington, AP/Houston Chronicle, 8/20). The conference call, titled "40 Minutes for Health Reform," was hosted by Faith in Public Life, a group sponsored by more than 30 religious denominations and organizations across the political spectrum. The group said the call included comments from "people of faith who have experienced the consequences of our broken system" and "clergy working in their own communities to reform health care" who "highlight[ed] ways they are impacting the debate."

Obama said "there's been a lot of misinformation in this debate and there are some folks out there who are, frankly, bearing false witness." He urged the call's participants to "spread the facts and speak the truth" on claims about coverage for abortion services in the proposed bills, among other controversial issues (Rhee, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 8/19).

Obama on Thursday will host another conference call and an online address to supporters. He also is scheduled to participate in a White House broadcast with Michael Smerconish, a Philadelphia-based radio host who supports abortion rights but generally is viewed as conservative. Smerconish endorsed Obama during the presidential race (AP/Houston Chronicle, 8/20).

Poll Sheds Light on Health Reform Myths

According to a new NBC News poll, several "myths and partial truths" about provisions of health reform bills are gaining traction among some members of the public, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. One such myth is the notion that "taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for abortions." The poll found that 50% of respondents expect that federal funding will be used to fund abortion, while 37% do not. The poll was conducted Aug. 15-17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

According to an Associated Press "fact check" examining the poll results, the House health reform bill (HR 3200) would allow health insurance coverage for abortion services under the public option. The bill includes a requirement that payment for abortion procedures comes from beneficiary premiums and not taxpayer dollars. Private plans participating in a new health insurance exchange could opt to cover abortion services but would have to abide by a similar requirement on separate funds. Obama has said that the U.S. should maintain its tradition of "not financing abortion as part of government-funded health care," and none of the health reform proposals would overturn existing federal restrictions on federal funding of abortion (Woodward, AP/Yahoo! News, 8/20).

Antiabortion-Rights Groups Hold Conference Call

A group of antiabortion-rights organizations held its own conference call Wednesday night to mobilize supporters and offer antiabortion-rights alternatives. The groups included the Susan B. Anthony List, Americans United for Life and the Family Research Council. Tony Perkins, president of FRC, said in a statement that the "religious left ... has repeatedly said they do not want to get into the weeds on the policy aspects of health care reform." However, "[e]nsuring that taxpayer[s] are not forced to fund abortion and that the conscience rights of health care workers are protected is not getting into the weeds, but rather it is ensuring that health care reform is kept on a higher moral plane" ("Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 8/19).


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