Illinois Senator Roland Burris
The New York Times reports on a new amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, introduced by Illinois Senator Roland Burris, that would allow abortions to be performed in military hospitals. Contact your senators today and tell them to oppose the Burris Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.
Currently, military hospitals cannot perform abortions. This means women in the military must go outside the military healthcare system if they want to procure an abortion. The government approved abortions in military hospitals for a short time after the Roe v. Wade decision, but ever since the late 1970s the practice has been greatly restricted—largely because the government realized it was unwise and politically imprudent to be in the abortion business.
The amendment would allow abortions to be performed in military hospitals, but the abortions would have to be paid for up front with private money, which abortion supporters claim means that the government is not actually funding or involved in the abortions. But despite these restrictions, this change would put the government in the abortion business since government doctors, equipment, time and facilities would be used to perform the abortions. The amendment does contain a conscience clause that would allow doctors to opt out of performing abortions if they were morally opposed, but this in no way redeems the amendment.
Burris was appointed to fill the seat left vacant by President Obama by then Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich who is now the center of a massive corruption trial. Part of what brought him to trial were alleged attempts to sell the senate seat Burris now occupies. Burris’s introduction of the amendment seems to be an attempt to put his name on something before his, likely brief, career as a senator is over.
According to the Times, democrats are “cautiously optimistic” about passing the amendment, which means they’re in a position of weakness. That’s why it’s so important that you call, e-mail and write your senators today and tell them to oppose the Burris Amendment. As it has so many times before, a groundswell of pro-lifers like you contacting your senators could stop this amendment and keep our military hospitals free of abortion.
