After the USCCB vowed to "vigorously" oppose the health care bill if it is not amended to explicitly prohibit federal funding of abortions, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said that the bishops do not understand the existing law restricting federal funding of abortion. "There may be a legal interpretation that has been lost here, but there's a fairly clear federal law prohibiting the federal use of money for abortion," Gibbs told CNSNews.com at Friday's press briefing. "I think it is - again, it's exceedingly clear in the law.
Gibbs had similarly contradicted the Catholic bishops at Wednesday's press briefing.
In a Sept. 30 letter to members of the U.S. Senate, the USCCB said: "So far, the health reform bills considered in committee, including the new Senate Finance Committee bill, have not met President Obama's challenge of barring use of federal dollars for abortion."
When CNSNews.com read Gibbs this statement Wednesday and asked him if it was wrong, Gibbs said: "Well, I don't want to get me into trouble at church. But I would mention there's a law that precludes the use of federal funds for abortion that isn't going to be changed in these health care bills."
The "law" Gibbs was referring to is the Hyde Amendment, which has been included in each year's annual Health and Human Services Appropriation since fiscal 1977. This amendment prohibits funding of abortion only in that particular fiscal year and only among funds appropriated through that particular bill.
The programs being set up by the health-care bill under consideration in Congress would not be funded through the annual HHS appropriations bill and would not be subject to the Hyde amendment - even if Congress deems to include the Hyde Amendment in future-year HHS appropriations bills, CNS News says.
CNSNews.com asked Gibbs about the matter again at Friday's press briefing.
Gibbs responded: "My answer isn't different than it was on Wednesday. There may be a legal interpretation that has been lost here, but there's a fairly clear federal law prohibiting the federal use of money for abortion. I think it is - again, it's exceedingly clear in the law.
CNSNews.com then said: "But the Hyde amendment is only for direct appropriations for HHS, and that's-"
Gibbs interjected: "Again, I think that law is exceedingly clear."
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