Abortion funding addressed by executive order, health care reform passage tonight likely

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that pro-life Democrats managed to strike a deal. President Obama will issue an executive order stating that restrictions on government subsidies for abortion will be preserved. With Stupak and company on board, the health care bill is all but guaranteed to be passed in the House tonight.

Pro-life groups are suspicious of the executive order. The Susan B. Anthony List, USCCB, and others point out that an executive order can be rescinded at any time. They are correct. But the same is true of the Mexico City policy, which is widely regarded as a major pro-life victory. We should also remember that many of the bill’s key provisions do not go into effect until 2014; if we get a pro-life majority in Congress between now and then, we can clarify the abortion funding policy before any damage is done.

Overall, I think we should be proud of what we’ve accomplished. We’ve shown the country that, even when both houses of Congress and the White House are occupied by the Democratic party, the voice of the pro-life public matters. “Pro-life Democrat” might have been thought an oxymoron by many before the health care debate, but now everyone knows; perhaps this will give more Democrats the courage to speak up for the unborn. And while I admit that we’re still incredibly outfunded, we’ve caused the abortion lobby to waste millions of dollars with nothing to show for it.

So pat yourselves on the back. Now, back to work!