FamilyFoundationBlog.com

This is the second in a series about key issues facing this year’s General Assembly. Issue One, Life Defined And Protected, was posted yesterday.

Last General Assembly session, just before Congressional liberals rammed through their government-run health insurance overhaul (see ObamaCare411.com), Virginia responded to the mood of its citizens and passed the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act. Once the federal health insurance changes were signed into law, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli quickly filed suit in federal court to defend (see video) the constitutional rights of Virginians. 

Legal challenges aside, ObamaCare is scheduled to be fully implemented by 2014. While we hope Virginia’s lawsuit will succeed, no one can, with anything close to certainty, count on the courts to invalidate the law or on Congress to repeal it (see 21StateLawSuit.com). 

We especially are concerned about the provisions of the law that allow for abortion funding. That’s because ObamaCare puts states in charge of their own health insurance exchanges for individuals and small businesses. If enacted today, Virginia could potentially include, in its exchange, plans that cover elective abortion. In fact, Pennsylvania and Maryland already have moved to include such plans (see CNSNews.com). Without intervention by the General Assembly, pro-family citizens opposed to abortion would be mandated to fund this unethical destruction of human life. Virginians may be divided on the issue of abortion, but a vast majority are opposed to publicly funding it with their hard earned tax dollars.

However, there is a clause in the federal health insurance plan that allows states to opt out of abortion funding in their state run exchanges. Such action also fulfills the executive order signed by President Obama that theoretically protects Americans from funding abortion through the health insurance scheme. According to Americans United for Life, a total of 25 states, including Virginia, have either opted out or have plans to introduce legislation with the hope of preventing health insurance companies in the exchange from providing abortion coverage. 

Toward that end, The Family Foundation is supporting legislation introduced this session by Senator Mark Obenshain (R-26, Harrisonburg) and Delegate Ben Cline (R-24, Rockbridge) that would prevent insurance plans in the Virginia exchange from providing abortion coverage. Especially in today’s financial climate, it is unconscionable to mandate Virginians to underwrite a publicly unsupported issue resulting in the destruction of human life.

It’s the talk of the nation and certainly has provided motivation for viscous attacks by left-wing bloggers and politicians, but it is right and just — the law suit brought by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli against the freedom crushing government run health insurance plan concocted and rammed through by President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Because the mainstream media and left wing groups have attempted to demonize the law suit, the attorney general smartly is going around them. So, here’s a reminder thatthis Wednesday, June 16, at 8:00 p.m., Attorney General Cuccinelli will host a Webcast town hall meeting to discuss the facts of the case, the constitutional issues involved and the legal process. He also will take questions from the online audience.

Click here to sign up for this free event, that promises to be very informative as well.

We urge you to take part in this Webcast. As the national debate over government-run health care continues, the mainstream media and statists who support it continue to spoon feed their deception to the public over the airwaves, in newspapers and on the Internet, especially throught political party manipulated bloggers. Knowing the truth is essential as you discuss this important topic with your friends, co-workers and fellow church members.

Too many of our fellow Virginians do not know the actual content of our constitution or what it means. You must be equipped with the facts and arguments to be able to counter the pro-government run health insurance crowd.

We also hope you will take the time to read the attorney general’s brief on the case (you can bet most of those raising their hackles about it haven’t) by clicking here. It summarizes the constitutional law and historical arguments that are the foundation of the commonwealth’s case against the Obama administration.

As Americans get ready for summer vacation and are fixated on the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, decisions will be made in the coming weeks and months that will affect the very foundations of our our way of life. We highly encourage you to join the Mr. Cuccinelli Wednesday night on the Webcast to learn more about this incredibly important case.