Pro-life debate continues to cloud the
Republican health care plan. The GOP's
American Health Care Act would repeal
and replace former President Barack
Obama's Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.
The House version currently includes
pro-life protections but the big
question is will those protections
remain in the Senate's version. If those
pro-life protections are scrapped in the
Senate because of strict budget rules,
the health care plan could expand
abortion more broadly than Obamacare
through tax credits. We are closely
monitoring this on EWTN pro-life weekly.
Joining us now for her analysis is
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the
Susan B. Anthony List, the pro-life
advocacy group we are teaming up with
for this program. Thank you for being
here. I love being here.
Can you explain why the
pro-life protections may be scrapped in
the Senate? What's the deal there? Well if
you really want to sound like a Capitol
Hill insiders say it might not be
'Byrdable'.  What does that mean? Well
there's a senator from West Virginia a
long time ago named Senator Byrd and
it's his rule and the way it stands
now is it has to do it has to be a
budget savings it must deal with a
budget for this to stay on the bill. So
what does that mean for us? It means that
the that the Planned Parenthood piece
that is on there does affect the budget.
We know that because we've already been
through that with the congressional
budget office, but also any Hyde
Amendment protection in terms of the
health care bill I must also be ruled by
the parliamentarian as a budgetary item.
So that is our concern everybody at the
White House, everybody in the Senate,
everybody in the House, including those
who sent the House bill out you know it
put together in this house bill all want
this there's no question that it's
wanted the question for the pro-life
movement and the mandate for the
pro-life movement is to make sure that
nobody forgets that wanting that it has
to be absolutely without question and a
movable decision that it must be on that
bill or they or it cannot be voted for
So defunding Planned Parenthood is
financial but that Hyde language -  that
pro-life protection may not be "Byrde-able"?
That's the, that is the issue yeah, so
"Byrde-able" is the new
vocabulary word for us. Something to
learn. Yeah. So we're expecting a Senate
vote soon to overturn former President
Barack Obama - shortly before he left
office, he created this order that would
prevent States from defunding Planned
Parenthood. Who will you be monitoring
for this vote? So the House passed it and
now it goes to the Senate it only takes
50 votes it cannot be filibustered so
that's the good news we need 51 votes to
win we will be watching those folks who
are up for the Senate in 2018 who are on
that sort of middle ground watch list
and we're concerned very very concerned
that they might go the wrong way on this.
And who are they? They are self-described
pro-life member-  Senator Donnelly, Senator
Heitkamp from North Dakota, Senator
Tester, Senator Nelson from Florida.
It's good for our viewers who might live
in those states - maybe reach out to their
Congressman. It is vital. In fact it's moving
so quickly that I was really weighing in
right now is vital and never ask your
question - is it worthwhile? It is always
worthwhile. The idea that somehow you
have a senator that you think is in
voting against you a lot doesn't make
any difference especially when we're
moving into 2018. They really do hear it
even when you think not. I know because
we hear it from folks on the hill. When I
worked on the hill -  I know what happens
when somebody pulls the alarm; it's
because so much constituent
activities and going on and in the in
the office that you know that your
member has to adjust or listen or give
some feedback hopefully vote the right
way which is what we want. They can't
ignore the voices that they hear. Just last
week, Vice President Mike Pence met with
some pro-life leaders, including Susan B.
Anthony List's Marilyn Musgrave. What have
you heard from it? Was it a productive
meeting? It was a very productive meeting
I mean we're dealing now in a beautiful
new day where we visit the White House
pretty regularly and especially in a
moment like this when there's so much on
the line legislatively number one agenda
item was to talk to vice president pence
about that hide language in the
Obamacare replace bill that we just
talked about the whole issue was whether
this will be "Byrde-able" or not. It's not
in the vice president's control or the
house of control or even the random
senators control about whether it will
be "Byrde-able". There is one person who
decide whether this Hyde language stays.
It's the Parliamentarian. The issue we
wanted to get across is if it's not in
there. If the Hyde Amendment is not in
there this is when we discussed this in
Obamacare just seven years ago we can
not vote for it because it will be
taxpayer funding of abortion again and
we just, we're planning, we're planning to
move out of that. And there will be an
impact for those who don't support
programs reactions as well. And, our
viewers, wer'e going to go to a "call to
action" after this and our viewers can
see how they can also be involved in the
pro-life movement Marjorie Dannenfelser
think to you thank you as always
