Democrats’ ‘Medicare for All’ Bills Would Legalize Taxpayer-Funded Abortion

A pair of Democrat-supported “Medicare for All” bills in Congress would legalize taxpayer-funded abortion and overturn decades of precedent on the issue, according to a new analysis by a pro-life institute.

Two companion bills in Congress – one sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and the other by Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) – would establish a national health insurance program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Both bills guarantee “comprehensive reproductive … care.” 

“Reproductive care” is a common pro-choice term that includes abortion.

“Fundamentally, this legislation is intended to normalize abortion as reproductive healthcare that should be covered in any government-funded program no differently from prenatal care,” wrote Mary E. Harned of the Charlotte Lozier Institute in a Dec. 9 analysis. “Unless the terms ‘reproductive health service’ and ‘comprehensive reproductive care’ are defined to exclude abortion, this legislation will ensure that virtually every American has access to taxpayer-funded abortion.”

Jayapal’s bill, H.R. 1384, has 118 co-sponsors, while Sanders’ bill, S. 1129, has 14 co-sponsors. Every co-sponsor is a Democrat. Although Sanders is an Independent, he caucuses with Democrats. 

Neither bill includes the word “abortion,” but both Jayapal and Sanders support federal funding for…