Burris pushes for military abortions If you thought Roland Burris was a harmless lame duck filling Barack Obama's old U.S. Senate seat until next January, you were mistaken. Burris has taken advantage of his lack of accountability to try and overturn a longstanding military policy that would cause U.S. taxpayers to pay for military abortions -- both overseas and in the states. Thursday, Burris' amendment striking the current restriction on military abortions passed out of U.S. Senate Armed Service Committee in a 15 to 12 vote. If Burris' amendment becomes law, all military medical facilities will be required to provide unrestricted abortions, including for the purposes of sex selection as well as anytime in the pregnancy, from conception to baby's birth. Mississippi Senator Wicker led the discussion in opposition to Burris amendment: The committee yesterday decided to reverse this long-standing policy and to say that indeed abortions, for whatever reason, will be performed in these facilities that are paid for by taxpayer expense that are there for the care of our service members to keep them healthy and to repair their injuries. We're going to use those facilities for elective abortions. If this amendment stands -- and I guarantee you it will be challenged on the floor of the House and Senate, with separate amendments -- Members will be given a chance to vote on this separate issue. But if this stands, our military installations, Fort Bragg, Columbus Air Force Base, Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, their medical facilities will be able to be used for abortions, performed late term, abortions performed for purposes of sex selection, abortions performed for any reason. Abortion-at-will will be the requirement for our military installations and the medical facilities on those installations. Click here for Senator Burris' website response section. Let him know what you think -- after all, he still represents Illinoisans, whether he acknowledges it or not. The bill number is HR 5136, entitled: The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 Source: Illinois Review Publish Date: May 28, 2010 Link to this article. Send this article to a friend. |