Washington D.C., Mar 24, 2010 / 20:10 pm
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) has defended President Obama’s executive order intended to bar taxpayer dollars from funding abortion under the health care reform legislation signed yesterday.
According to a Wednesday statement from Stupak’s office, the executive order says that the legislation “maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to the newly created health insurance exchanges.”
Stupak said the order has “the full force and effect of law” and makes “very clear” that current law barring funding of abortion applies to the new health care legislation.
“I have said from the start that my goal was to see health care pass while maintaining the principle of the sanctity of life. The president’s Executive Order upholds this principle that federal funds will not be used to subsidize abortion coverage,” Stupak claimed.