Democratic congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio hailed the passage of the Capps amendment as precisely the kind of "common ground" solution he proposed last week to disagreements about abortion coverage in the health care bill. In a phone interview with THE WEEKLY STANDARD on Friday, Ryan, who describes himself as pro-life, said the Capps amendment makes it "very clear that no public money can be used to provide and pay for an abortion. And all of these plans can offer or not offer the services that they want. Our concern is that the public tax dollars don't go to pay for the service." But most pro-life members of Congress dispute Ryan's belief that this is a common ground solution because the amendment will, in fact, allow the public plan and federally-subsidized private plans to cover elective abortions. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) thinks the amendment is a "phony compromise," and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) told me, "It's one of the most deceptive amendments I have ever seen." Though it claims to ban federal funding of abortion, Smith said, "It will force every area of the country to have a government subsidized private-insurance plan that pays for abortion-on-demand." Yet, Ryan argues that the bill is a compromise because "there will be a firewall between the public money and the private money" in federally-subsidized private plans and in the public plan, and that only private funds will be used to pay for abortions. "This bill will reduce abortions by providing preventative care and contraception to millions of women who don't get it now," Ryan said. Smith believes that this distinction is nothing but a bookkeeping scheme and replies: "The bottom line is that money is fungible, and the plan itself will be subsidizing abortion-on-demand, with taxpayer funding commingled, and the numbers of abortions will go up significantly." Women already have access to taxpayer-funded contraception through Title X, but they don't have access to federally-subsidized insurance plans that offer abortion coverage. This is the latest instance in which Ryan has served as a pro-life "front-man" for groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL, says the National Right to Life Committee's Douglas Johnson. National pro-life leaders say that Ryan is not pro-life, pointing to his 2004 vote to repeal the ban on abortions at military bases, his recent vote to allow public funding of abortion in D.C, and his votes in favor of embryo-destructive stem-cell research. Ryan responds that in 2004, "I accidentally voted the wrong way" on allowing abortions and military bases, and he had cast pro-life votes on the issue in 2003, 2005, and 2006. While a few anti-abortion legislators (i.e. John McCain) support embryonic stem-cell research, his support for public funding of abortion in D.C.
TWS: When do you believe life begins? REP. RYAN: That answer's above my pay grade. That's for God to determine. TWS: So you're not saying first trimester, second trimester, conception? REP. RYAN: I don't know. I mean that's God. God knows when it begins, and when it ends, and all that other stuff.
"I believe that we need to reduce abortions through contraception, and he doesn't." Douglas Johnson is "all of a sudden trying to undermine my pro-life record. And he can't get past the fact that I'm pro-life and will continue to be pro-life and say I'm pro-life vote pro-life. This week, Johnson dismissed Ryan's pro-life credentials, writing: "in 2004 [Ryan] voted to repeal the ban on elective abortions in U.S. military facilities.) Since 2007, however, Mr. Ryan's record has not been mixed -- he did not cast a single pro-life vote in 2007, 2008, or 2009. Ryan's most recent abortion-related vote occurred in the House Appropriations Committee on July 7, 2009, when he voted against all the real pro-lifers and in favor of repealing the longstanding ban on funding elective abortions, with funds appropriated by Congress, in the District of Columbia." Smith says that Ryan "has no right whatsoever to advertise himself as right-to-life." "drastically underfunded" "80 percent of private plans cover abortions" "We're hoping at the end of the day Congressman Ryan will find his way back," Day said. "He was elected by his constituents to be pro-life." "Yeah, I do," he said. "That's a choice we make as federal officials that's, you know, as we would be technically the employer of the federal employees, millions and millions of people, and that's our choice. I don't think our federal plan should have abortions in it. "I pressed them to support contraception to reduce abortions, and they don't like contraception. They don't think contraception helps reduce abortions, and I do." They just adamantly were opposed to it. National Right to Life is just adamantly opposed to contraception." "No, that's not true at all," says Kristen Day of Democrats for Life. "He knows very well that we're not opposed to contraception." Sen. Bob Casey, one of the most prominent pro-life Democrats in Washington, has voted in favor of Title X contraception funding--some of which subsidizes Planned Parenthood--and remains in good standing with the group. "As far as the health care bill. I think we have to make it very clear that Conressman Bart Stupak is speaking for pro-life Democrats." --phony compromise I think he has an 80% voting with NARAL. ost recently 39 democrats votd against public funding of abortion, and that was a pretty clear vote. ... when we were dealing with a conscience regulations for particularly Catholic doctors and health KRISTEN DAY --SPECIFICALLY TOLD HIM --BOB CASEY VOTES FOR TITLE X FUNDING 1. CONSCIENCE 2. DORNAN 3. "I accidentally voted the wrong way there," he said. "After that vote I one or two more times voted against funding for abortions at military facilities. I'm against it. I don't think the federal government should pay for that." "I believe that we need to reduce abortions through contraception, and he doesn't." Douglas Johnson is "all of a sudden trying to undermine my pro-life record. And he can't get past the fact that I'm pro-life and will continue to be pro-life and say I'm pro-life vote pro-life." "We can't still fight about legal and illegal and who want to put doctors and women in prison and who doesn't," but Ryan says it's more important to focus on trying to reduce the number of abortions. "We should have a beer together," he said. "That seems to be the thing to do lately." If someone right now doesn't have e $50 instead of $300, you get more of it? there's no federal money going to it. 57% of abortions are performed 1/3 of women would "That's exactly what barrack obama said. … That's acop out. If you don't know, don't kill it. If you backtrack from the abortion of birth-an abortion is allowed right up until the moment of birth Reagan used to say if you don't know, don't kill it. Early in his congressional career, Ryan cast some pro-life votes and some pro-abortion votes. (As an example of the latter, in 2004 he voted to repeal the ban on elective abortions in U.S. military facilities.) Since 2007, however, Mr. Ryan's record has not been mixed -- he did not cast a single pro-life vote in 2007, 2008, or 2009. Ryan's most recent abortion-related vote occurred in the House Appropriations Committee on July 7, 2009, when he voted against all the real pro-lifers and in favor of repealing the longstanding ban on funding elective abortions, with funds appropriated by Congress, in the District of Columbia. Ryan advocates letting D.C. (a federal jurisdiction) pay for abortion on demand, with funds appropriated by Congress, under a paper bookkeeping scheme. The result, if enacted, will be funding of 4,000 or 5,000 abortions annually with congressionally appropriated funds, including about 1,000 abortions a year that would not happen otherwise. In a subsequent press interview, Ryan said, "This bill doesn't provide public funding for abortions," a transparent falsehood; all D.C. funds are appropriated by Congress.