A pro-life Congressman is claiming that President Barack Obama told him in a phone conversation that when he addressed Congress on Sept. 9 and said “under our plan no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions” he was not talking about any of the bills currently pending on the Hill, but his own plan – which only exists theoretically.
Rep. Bart Stupak, D., Mich., told CNSNews.com that he confronted the president about this statement in a phone conversation, saying that abortion funding was indeed provided in all of the bills on the Hill. The President corrected him saying that when he addressed Congress, he said, “Under my plan” abortion funding would not be provided.
At this point, Rep. Stupak said, “With all due respect sir, you do not have a plan. The only plan we have out is the House plan’.”
The president offered no reply, saying only, “Go back and work with the people on your committee and get this matter worked out. Work with the Speaker. Work with us, would you?”
“So, I don’t know if it is a game of semantics or what,” Rep. Stupak concluded.
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, believes a game of semantics is exactly what the president is playing.
“Every time the President has spoken of not wanting to fund abortion in ‘his’ health care plan, no one has really known what measure he was talking about,” said Fr. Pavone. “Now, we know from his conversation with Congressman Stupak that the President’s ‘plan’ has never seen the light of day. Or, maybe, to paraphrase former President Bill Clinton, it depends on what the word ‘plan’ means.”