Posted on Tuesday, 27th January 2009 by Patrick Dorwin

How do you figure?

Senator Jim DeMint’s blog: Obama Nominee: Constitution Protects Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
James B. Steinberg, President Obama’s nominee to be the next Deputy Secretary of State, claimed in written testimony to the Foreign Relations Committee that Congress cannot constitutionally restrict taxpayer funding to perform or promote abortions. Mr. Steinberg stated that the Mexico City policy, which bars taxpayer funding of abortions overseas, “is an unnecessary restriction that, if applied to organizations based in this country, would be an unconstitutional limitation on free speech.”

Steinberg’s opinion is in direct contradiction to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has already definitively decided the matter in Rust v. Sullivan in 1991. The court’s majority opinion concluded: “The Government has no constitutional duty to subsidize an activity merely because it is constitutionally protected, and may validly choose to allocate public funds for medical services relating to childbirth but not to abortion.”

You can go read the whole exchange. What immediately leapt to mind was Kate’s little icon…

h/t: Michelle Malkin

Posted in Quick Hits | Comments (3) |

3 Responses to “Obama nominee says taxpayer-funded abortion is a 1st Amendment right”



  1. Amy P. Says:
    January 27th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    So, apparently, the only things that AREN’T First Amendment rights are free expression of religion (especially if you’re a conservative Catholic/Protestant/Evangelical) and free speech (again, if you’re a conservative).

    Wow.



  2. Silvermare Says:
    January 27th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    Here’s what the 1st Amendment of Our Constitution is: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

    I’m sorry, but I don’t see any ‘right to taxpayer-funded abortion’ within these words. I see these items in the 1st Amendment:

    1. Congress isn’t to make any law establishing a state run religion-like the Anglican Church in Britain; nor prohibit people from practicing their religion.

    2.Congress isn’t to make any law curtailing free speech or censor the press.

    3.Congress isn’t to make any law curtailing the rights of people to come (peaceably-no street violence) and petition our Government.

    Somehow in their ‘sophistication’ leftists can read anything they want to into something as plain as the 1st Amendment. What a lot of dinkwads!



  3. stalker3 Says:
    January 28th, 2009 at 10:59 am

    Did they kill babies when they wrote the Constitution?

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