The Fate of ObamaCare and the Impact on Abortion, Rationing and the HHS Mandate

It is an understatement to declare that the eagerly-awaited U.S. Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of ObamaCare will have an enormous impact on our health care system, on the 2012 elections, and on the right-to-life of so many. The decision is expected on Thursday, June 28.

For background, there are significant provisions impacting the right-to-life in the ObamaCare law:

1. Abortion coverage essentially without restriction.

2. Abortion subsidies, both implicit and explicit.

3. Multiple provisions which may be used as bases for abortion-expanding administrative actions.

4. The “preventive health services” provision which has been used by HHS to mandate drugs and services in violation of the conscience of providers. This provision could be used in the future to mandate abortion services.

5. An appointed Independent Payment Advisory Board which has broad authority to determine which health care procedures can be provided or rejected.

6. Provisions that allow HHS to limit care.

7. Denial of treatment, even if the patient is willing and able to pay for it.

If the court declares the law unconstitutional in its entirety, all of these detrimental provisions go away. If the court declares the law constitutional in its entirety, all of these detrimental provisions remain law. If some of the challenged provisions are struck down, the dangerous abortion and rationing provisions in the law remain intact, and can only be repealed by electing a Congress willing to repeal them and a President willing to sign the repeal.

Only about 1/3 of Americans favor the law according to the most recent polls. Like it or not, we must deal with the consequences of the court’s decision and how it impacts those we defend. Our work in ridding the nation of ObamaCare has a long way to go.

Barbara Lyons