Barb Malek, one of the directors of our local CPC, sent along an e-mail she came across written by a James R. Harden, who I assume is the same James R. Harden who is President/CEO of CompassCare Pregnancy Services in Rochester, New York.I print a portion of that letter below with a couple of my own observations afterward.
Dear friend,
As both a member and consumer of the medical community I am deeply concerned regarding the recently proposed comprehensive health care bill HR 3200. After reading the newly proposed “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” (HR 3200) it is clear to me that it represents a not so veiled attempt at reducing certain freedoms the American population has enjoyed for so long.
I pray that it is not as bad as it looks. But because I am not a lawyer and the bill is not written for the general population to read, it appears that proposed in the bill are potential mandates that if implemented could not only reduce or eliminate health care choice but introduce everything from potential government sanctioned euthanasia (determining who qualifies for life saving services including reducing services for special needs people), to in home family planning (which could fund and potentially mandate abortions) including increasing ‘birth intervals’ between children (See pages 767-772)...
If you think that this sounds a lot like surreal science fiction I would encourage you to read this tyrannical piece of legislation for yourself...
The health legislation has been titled “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.” Relative to what the legislation would mandate as well as the monies the legislation would require it represents neither increased ‘health choices’ to Americans nor affordability. This bill states that it would require at least $119.6 Trillion in new government spending (see pages 859 and 932 in the legislation itself) saddling employers with and increased payroll tax of up to 8% and penalizing people who do not participate with an additional 2.5% tax.
Worse than a new tax is one that is not even recognized as such; on page 203 it states, “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.”
Relative to health choices please note all the ways that our current choices will be reduced or revoked as you read through the bill potentially including everything from who treats you, to how you are treated, to whether or not you would have a choice regarding vaccinations, and if you are a medical professional where you would work and how much you should get paid...
I am concerned as this could have grave and far reaching implications the likes of which have been seen only in the most tragic places of modern history, places like Nazi Germany and China. Please contact your local representatives and senators and express your concern.
The concern Mr. Harden expresses about the new health care plan's intrusion into the matter of increasing "birth intervals" between children is the item in his letter that has caused the most buzz. (How sad is that; namely, that we already expected ObamaCare to promote the evils of coerced abortion and euthanasia?)
And Mr. Harden does have reason to be worried about the government's health agents (in this case, trained nurses who are doing home visits) connecting "medical assistance" to the spacing of children as determined by busybody bureaucrats.
Here's how that section reads: "The term ‘nurse home visitation services’ means home visits by trained nurses to families with a first-time pregnant woman, or a child (under 2 years of age), who is eligible for medical assistance under this title, but only, to the extent determined by the Secretary based upon evidence, that such services are effective in one or 2 more of the following: ‘‘(1) Improving maternal or child health and pregnancy outcomes or increasing birth intervals between pregnancies. ‘‘(2) Reducing the incidence of child abuse, neglect, and injury, improving family stability (including reduction in the incidence of intimate partner violence), or reducing maternal and child involvement in the criminal justice system.
‘‘(3) Increasing economic self-sufficiency, employment advancement, school-readiness, and educational achievement, or reducing dependence on public assistance.’’
There's a whole lot of other bad stuff in this bill. Indeed, it makes for scarier reading than anything you ever came across in Stephen King. Mr. Harden's alarm is very well-founded. So too is his suggestion that you get on the horn (loud and often) to express to Senator Bill Nelson and others your deep misgivings over this convoluted, intrusive, and extremely expensive medical care bill.
