Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., blasted the so-called "Stupak deal" as "unconstitutional." "It's an outrage," he says. "Why does the Congress allow the executive branch to write law? Republicans do it, Democrats do it, it's lawlessness. Congress should be curtailing that rather than encouraging it," according to a report in the National Review Online.
The executive order in question reads: “it is necessary to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), consistent with a longstanding Federal statutory restriction that is commonly known as the Hyde Amendment.”
The order further requires the Department of Health and Human Services to draft guidelines which states must follow to ensure that federal funds don’t pay for abortion coverage. Any coverage under the new state insurance exchanges would have to be paid for by the insured.
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The executive order was published by the White House minutes before Congressman Bart Stupak, D-Mich., declared that he and his bloc of pro-life Democrats would be providing the missing votes to allow the healthcare bill to pass Sunday evening by a 219-212 margin.
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