Do Anti-Choice Conservatives Like Cantor And Gingrich Provide Elective Abortion Coverage To Their Employees?
Do Anti-Choice Conservatives Like Cantor And Gingrich Provide Elective Abortion Coverage To Their Employees?
Yesterday, the Politico reported that the Republican National Committee provides a health insurance policy to its employees which covers elective abortions. The RNC’s platform considers elective abortions “a fundamental assault on innocent human life.” Reacting to the news today, RNC Chairman Michael Steele said, “Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose,” and that “it will not exist under my administration.”
Conservatives are pressing forward with an effort to use health reform as a backdoor legislative effort to ban abortion coverage in the Exchange — and limit abortion services in existing employer-sponsored plans. However, an analysis of disclosure forms of right-wing organizations and lawmakers reveals that many anti-choice conservative leaders may provide insurance plans with elective abortions to their employees.
For instance, Newt Gingrich, like the RNC, has said he would like to outlaw abortions. According to IRS disclosure forms, Gingrich’s 527 attack organization American Solutions for Winning the Future provides health coverage to its employees through CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. According to its website, standard Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield policies cover elective abortions unless the employer specifically opts out.
House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), another staunch opponent of reproductive rights, also provides Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage to his campaign employees.
Both Gingrich and Cantor’s office have not responded to calls from ThinkProgress inquiring if either employer has canceled elective abortion coverage on their insurance coverage.
42 Responses to “Do Anti-Choice Conservatives Like Cantor And Gingrich Provide Elective Abortion Coverage To Their Employees?”
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They’ll cancel the elective abortion parts of their policies first. After they do this, then they’ll make themselves available for comment by stating that the elective abortion parts of the policies were over-looked due to a mistake in policy selection.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:22 pmhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33909607/ns/politics/
November 13th, 2009 at 2:24 pmTeabagging hicks support abortion for their mistresses and prostitutes.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:27 pmNext question:
Is it possible to obtain the statistics of how many times that elective abortion coverage has been used within that narrowly defined subset of employees of anti-choice Republicans?
After all, Repiglickens (see Oklahoma) want to do that and oh-so-much more. Sauce for the goose, anyone?
November 13th, 2009 at 2:27 pmhillary1 obviously didn’t read this entry.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:28 pmThat thought crossed my mind as well, BobKincaid…
November 13th, 2009 at 2:29 pmGood question.
Look — even if an organization “opts out” of abortion coverage from their health insurance provider, their premiums still go to a corporation who provides abortion coverage for their insureds who “opt in”.
The only way they can keep their premium money completely untainted is if they find a health insurance company who provides no coverage for abortion services at all, to anyone.
And how many of those are there? Face it — there’s always a chance that your premium money could be used to pay for somebody’s abortion. Just as the money you spend putting gas in your Prius could be used to pay for a lobbyist to argue against fuel efficiency in vehicles.
For that reason, it really doesn’t matter if you opt out of abortion coverage. This is an argument the righties would use in a heartbeat against an “opt in” or an “opt out” for abortion coverage feature in a public option.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:31 pmThese jerks are more interested in dictating to others, especially women, than they are examining themselves.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:33 pmThe Repugs would like us to believe this is some kind of oversight. YEAH RIGHT! An oversight for 18 friggin years? Why don’t all the people who donated to the RNC fund demand their money back? After all the GOP is supposed to be ‘Pro-Life’? Right? And I wonder what the women who work for the RNC will react when their white, rich bosses tell them that abortion services WON’T be provided. Better yet, why doesn’t the GOP strip birth control too? That will go over REAL well for female employees.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pmFun distraction. :)
November 13th, 2009 at 2:37 pmThey are also more than willing to shill for these insurance companies that profit from providing abortions. How much money have these Holier than thou hypocrites taken from abortion providing insurance companies?
November 13th, 2009 at 2:39 pmThat’s why they make so much noise about others. Their lives cannot withstand examination.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:40 pmSo much for the GOP not wanting a government bureaucrat to make health care decisions by standing between someone and their doctor.
Wait, that doesn’t apply to a legally protecting medical procedure. Or to Republicans.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:41 pmI think a great precedent is being set here – all politicians, PACs, organizations, etc. – need to come clean on their own coverage before deciding what’s “good” for everyone else.
Please, please, MSM, hold these SOB’s accountable before they are allowed to dictate their self righteous, moralistic positions to others – and before they vote in Congress.
On all issues.
Fat chance.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:41 pmBunch of moronic white guys!
Once again a bunch of guys thinking they know whats best for women can’t even get their own house straight. All together now HYPOCRITS!
November 13th, 2009 at 2:42 pmlok@14, MSM is SO busy covering Carrie Prejean and that twit Sarah Palin they barely mentioned the GOPs latest hypocricy. Why tell the public some REAL news when we can be assaulted with ‘infotainment’?
November 13th, 2009 at 2:45 pmCantor just creeps me out…and Newt is just a creep.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:46 pmI just heard Iowa Rep Bruce Braley on Ed Schultz. He said he opposes Stupak but had the nerve to defend his buddy’s stance because Stupak is an evangelical with “strongly held beliefs.”
November 13th, 2009 at 2:52 pmWhat is this crap? Stupak’s amendment cannot be defended. He idiotic beliefs are irrelevant! If he can’t keep that crap to himself he has no damn right to be in government.
Then Bruce responded to Schultz’s question about why we can’t get healthcare by saying who was it that demonstrated at the capitol last week and where were the progressive opponents at that time? WTF? We elected them and that’s not enough? Have they already forgotten what they campaigned on? Elections and weekly polls don’t tell them what we want? We have to leave our jobs and families every time some nutjob group gets together or they forgot what we elected them to do? Did anyone else hear this? What kind of idiots did we elect? Between the xtians and the wind blown so called Democrats we are so screwed!
What are elective abortions? Those obtained because the pregnancy was unplanned? was the result of a rape or incest? will produce a child with horrific physical and/or mental deficiencies? will produce a non-viable child? will render the mother incapable of bearing future children? will delay other necessary medical treatments needed by the mother?
I’m asking because calling these guys out is going to result in a bunch of women no longer having a choice when they need it.
Just sayin’.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:54 pmIs repub hypocrisy scary for the trolls?
November 13th, 2009 at 2:55 pmNa, it seems that way at times but the pendulum has begun it’s swing and obviously nothing they do can change it.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:55 pmIf they are getting paid for abortions while campainging against it then too bad.
Maybe then they will decide it’s good enough for everyone.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:57 pmYikes! Is that a real picture of Cantor(R-Teabaggistan), or a frame from some new XBox Game called Age of Teabaggers?
November 13th, 2009 at 2:58 pmBABYKILLERS!!!!!!!!!
Oh, the humanity!
November 13th, 2009 at 3:01 pmI can’t believe how much time MSM is giving Sarah Palin. ALL DAY. The woman is out of office, her family life is in tatters. This is unreal. So she is shilling a book? Who the Hell cares? Where is the coverage of the RNC covering abortions for the last 18 years? If Tweety DOESN’T mention this, I’ll freak. He’s been talking about the abortion issue for DAYS. Let’s see if he covers it tonight on ‘HardBall’.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:01 pmClearly, Republicans hold the world title to being hypocrites.
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November 13th, 2009 at 3:08 pmsickening isn’t it. they had her and ann coulter on cbs this morning….jeesus.
opra gives her the time of day……I am disgusted.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:08 pmWhat will they use to rile people up enough to commit murder, if abortion is “outlawed”? Sure there are lots of hot topics, such as racism, fascism and so on, but nothing works as well as anti-abortion to enrage everyone.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:08 pmFred says:
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jwmuiyaai says:
Between the xtians and the wind blown so called Democrats we are so screwed!
Na, it seems that way at times but the pendulum has begun it’s swing and obviously nothing they do can change it.
I don’t know Fred. I agree that the xtians are on the way out. I wouldn’t worry if it was just them. But I didn’t know we were fighting against our own Democrats as well. How can Braley so casually defend Stupak? He’s not even a blue dog is he? Now we know how stupak passed to begin with. And the crap comment about where was the opposition to the little tea bagger gathering? That small group of nuts got the notice of Democrats to the degree that Braley would ask where was the opposition? WTF!
November 13th, 2009 at 3:12 pmDemocrats are more diverse. It contains moderates as well as more left leaning.
We just went through 30 years of liberal bashing. It will take some time to reverse that. It has already begun.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pmFred227, It’s so bad, I’ve been watching reruns of Malcom in the Middle and Everybody loves Raymond. Now THAT is sad.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pmThe republicans label themselves hypocritically as the “Family Values” party even as many of their party members have extra-marital affairs, drug and alcohol abuse problems etc, etc, so I think it is laughable at best to believe that none of these “pro-choice” financiers, politicians, supporters have ever paid for an abortion for one of their children, mistresses or girlfriends.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:39 pmThis much is certain…if American Solutions For Winning The Future has not yet opted out of coverage for elective abortion, it will probably do so within the next couple of days. At the same time, I’m inclined to doubt that their female employees will care very much since I can’t imagine why any pro-choice woman in her right mind — even if a moderate Republican — would actually want to work for Newt Gingrich.
In any case, however, the fact that the organization was using a company which provides any coverage for elective abortion — whether opt-out or not — doesn’t look very good no matter how you slice it because it appears that the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing. If you truly believe that abortion is morally wrong and should be outlawed, then you really shouldn’t in good conscience be doing business with insurance companies which facilitate it. Anything otherwise suggests that A) the people whom you hired to select and/or administer the plan weren’t screened very well, B) that they haven’t been paying as much attention as they should have been, C) that you and your associates don’t really stand behind the beliefs you claim to have, or D) some combination of the above.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:40 pmOops…meant to type “pro-Life” not “pro-choice”…
November 13th, 2009 at 3:40 pmThere’s a good reason why Newt and Britney Cantor have abortion coverage for their staff. In case of a split during sex the problem is solved with a trip to the doctor. Look we’ve learned of some Law Makers with affairs and that’s just the tip of what their doing. Boner stays drunk and high so who knows who he’s been with for a quick. When Senator Vitter runs low on money he uses his title to get sex. Remember Foley was only dealing with boys. Duke Cunningham had supplied men/woman and no mention of condems.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:46 pmSee. This is how it starts… when people are worried that someone else is getting something for “free” that somebody else doesn’t think that they should or doesn’t think that they “earned” and then everyone starts bickering about it all…then all of a sudden mommy and daddy take privileges away from everyone…and no one gets anything.
In this case, though, it will be women — democratic and republican women — real people — that will have to pay the price in the loss of their reproductive choice.
And all the while while we are distracted by this so-called moral issue, there are more and more people dying because they can’t get health care coverage.
Damn.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:48 pmOne thing is certain, with Universal Healthcare provided by the government, the minute a Republican is sworn in as President he or she will, by executive order, defund all abortion services in the United States.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:53 pmFred says:
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jwmuiyaai
But I didn’t know we were fighting against our own Democrats as well.
Democrats are more diverse. It contains moderates as well as more left leaning.
We just went through 30 years of liberal bashing. It will take some time to reverse that. It has already begun.
Fred, I understand the diversity comment. Does that mean we don’t expect Democrats to say what’s wrong is wrong? I also get your relief that Democrats are finally in control again. But what good does it do us if they won’t take advantage of it? That was the point of my comment. The question of where were the pro-healthcare reform demonstrators is ridiculous! Don’t you feel like you’ve made your wishes known? Don’t you feel like the majority of Americans have made their wishes known? We want healtcare reform. We want the government to help the 45000 people who die every year. We want the government to stop people from going bankrupt because they get sick. We shouldn’t have to organize a counter demonstration every time Bachmann or Hannity or some other nutjob buses in a load of mouthbreathers. Where were the counter demonstrators? That’s F-ing crap! Braley and the rest of the Democrats need to f-ing do what we elected them to do!
November 13th, 2009 at 7:58 pmEric Cantor is gay and he needs to come out of the closet. I don’t mean to insult gay people at all, I just mean that this man who bashes gay people is in fact gay. There is nothing wrong with being gay, it’s just that people who are in the closet shouldn’t bash other people who are out. I have several family members who are gay, and I love them as much as I do the other members of my family. We all do, because blood is thicker than water. I’ve seen feminine acting people like Eric and all of them turned out to be gay and so is he.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:48 am☂
November 14th, 2009 at 12:28 pm♫
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November 14th, 2009 at 12:29 pm✖
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