FRC President Tony Perkins comments on President Obama's speech

Sep 10 2009

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins made the following comments in reaction to President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress.

Tomorrow night in a live webcast at frcaction.org, FRC President Tony Perkins will respond to the President's address. Perkins will be joined by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA), Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). Also joining the webcast will be FRC policy experts along with Doug Johnson with the National Right to Life Committee, Mat Staver with the Liberty Counsel, renowned ethicist Wesley Smith, and Bishop Harry Jackson from Hope Christian Church. FRC Action's last webcast in July drew over 76,000 viewers and mobilized support for a $ 500,000 health care campaign in five states during the August recess.

"It is clear from the President's campaign style speech to a special joint session of Congress that he understands his health care reform effort is on life support. He did his best to breathe new life into the effort by rhetorically jettisoning almost everything that has been in his takeover plan up to this point.

"I am not sure how the President can claim this is not a government takeover. A public option is still in his 'virtual plan,' and it will include a government mandate that requires everyone have a government defined health care plan or face steep fines.

"President Obama continued to mislead the American people by casually dismissing the concerns of millions of Americans who have deep moral objections to their tax dollars paying for abortions.

"It's surprising the President continues to claim that 'no federal dollars' will fund abortion, particularly after this assertion was widely disputed weeks ago by FactCheck.org along with reporters and columnists at the Associated Press, Time Magazine, and The Washington Post. Even supporters of the President such as Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak, Rev. Jim Wallis, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren agree that the current health care plans include abortion coverage with federal dollars.

"It's also very clear that the President's call for a 'new insurance exchange' will be the vehicle for taxpayer funded abortion. The President also knows very well that pro-abortion House and Senate Committees rejected every single amendment to keep abortion funding out of the health care overhaul. Instead, the House Energy and Commerce Committee adopted the Capps Amendments, which allows abortion coverage in the public health plan, and subsidizes health plans that cover abortion."