Both Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives will be pushing for a ban on the federal funding of abortion to be included in the healthcare reform bill (H.R. 3200) that is being marked-up this week.  According to Represenative Joe Pitts from Pennsylvania, if there is not an explicit ban on using federal funds for abortions, abortion “will be considered a minimum benefit” under the new healthcare reform plan.  President Obama has made it clear with both his words and actions that he considers reproductive procedures like abortion to be central to healthcare.  On July 17, 2007, Obama made the following remarks about reproductive procedures and healthcare:

Well, look, in my mind reproductive care is essential care, basic care so it is at the center, the heart of the plan that I propose.

 

But, essentially, what we are doing is to say that we’re going to set up a public plan that all persons and all women can access if they don’t have health insurance. It’ll be a plan that will provide all essential services, including reproductive services….

National Right to Life Federal Legislation Director Douglas Johnson said, "We know from a great deal of experience and many court decisions that [an 'essential benefits package'] will include elective abortion unless Congress explicitly says otherwise."  Once abortion is defined as part of an essential benefits package, both public and private insurance plans will be required to cover abortions and American taxpayers will be forced to pay for abortions on-demand.  In addition, according to Johnson many more abortion clinics would have to be opened across the country in order to meet the requirement of health insurance plans to have local access to abortion.