Kathleen Sebelius on Abortion

	Kathleen Sebelius on Abortion Democratic KS Governor

Make contraceptives available to everyone

For days, Obama had been hammered over a regulation in the health-care law that required religiously affiliated hospitals & universities to provide birth control for their female employees even if that conflicted with church teachings. He tried to end the debate with what he called an "accommodation": The employees will be offered free birth-control coverage, but the benefit will come directly from their insurers, and no religious groups' money will be used.

The fact that the compromise had not been proposed earlier angered the president, who felt let down by his staff. Obama waded into the details of the dispute himself and personally crafted the solution.

From the beginning, the fight over the requirement that all health plans offer free birth-control coverage was animated by politics & deeply held beliefs. Several prominent members of the president's team, including HHS Secy. Kathleen Sebelius, argued strongly for the president's commitment to make contraceptives available to everyone.

Source: Christi Parsons in Philadelphia Inquirer, "Birth Control" , Feb 12, 2012

Archbishop of Kansas chides governor for supporting abortion

Recently, Kathleen Sebelius has run afoul of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas. The bishop has told the governor that she “should stop receiving Communion until she publicly repudiates her support of abortion. In a column for his diocesan newspaper, Naumann wrote that he was particularly outraged by Sebelius’ veto of an antiabortion bill, which she--and nearly every legal scholar who examined it--believed was unconstitutional.

Naumann dismissed Sebelius’ insistence that she personally opposes abortion, and her assertion that because of her pro-adoption policies and improvements in public health services for pregnant women, Kansas’ abortion rate has declined significantly. The prelate said that in a private conversation he’d had with Sebelius, the governor said she was “obligated to uphold state and federal laws and court decisions related to abortion.” Naumann said he demanded that she show “a similar sense of obligation to honor divine law.”

Source: Tim Rutten, L.A. Times op-ed , May 28, 2008

Vetoed Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act as unconstitutional

On April 21, 2008, Sebelius vetoed SB 389, titled the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act by its sponsors. Sebelius objected to the constitutionality, efficacy and morality of the proposed legislation.

Sebelius wrote, “The US Supreme Court decisions make clear that any law regulating abortion must contain exceptions for pregnancies which endanger the woman’s life or health. However, SB 389 allows a variety of individuals to seek a court order preventing a woman from obtaining an abortion, even where it may be necessary to save her life. I am concerned that the bill is unconstitutional or even worse, endangers the lives of women.“ In addition, she expressed concern that the bill would ”likely encourage extensive litigation“ and that it ”unnecessarily jeopardizes the privacy of Kansas women’s confidential medical records.“

Source: Wikipedia.com article “Kathleen_Sebelius” , Apr 21, 2008

Endorsed by Planned Parenthood for years as pro-choice

Sebelius has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and they have conducted fundraising activity on her behalf. Sebelius vetoed abortion legislation in Kansas in 2003, 2005, 2006, and again in 2008.

In 2008, Sebelius vetoed House Substitute for Senate Bill 389, titled the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act by its sponsors. Proponents of the bill claimed the legislation would strengthen late-term abortion laws and prevent “coerced abortions” particularly with respect to minors.