In the Right

Given the the most recent GOP Platform calls abortion "a fundamental assault on innocent human life," and given Republican House members' votes on Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak's amendment to the health insurance reform bill to ensure that no federal funds be used to fund abortion services as part of health insurance reform, it looked like the RNC was being more than a bit hypocritical -- so much so that Steele moved quickly to take action to head off what surely could have become a pro-life firestorm.

By late afternoon Thursday, Steele had ordered that the RNC's policy be amended to drop the abortion option, and RNC chief of staff Ken McKay had sent a letter to the 168 members of the National Committee updating them on the situation.

"Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose," Steele told Politico. "I don't know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled."

One blogger at RedState decided that wasn't enough for him, and demanded that heads roll -- and, further, demanded that no pro-lifer donate money to the RNC until heads roll.

Steele and the RedState blogger apparently accept the notion that because the RNC has told its insurer, Cigna, that it no longer wishes abortion coverage to be included in its policies, that no longer will RNC money be used to fund abortions. As Steele said, "Consider this issue settled."

But unless the Republican National Committee is the only client to whom Cigna sells its health insurance policies, the issue isn't settled at all -- because donations from RNC contributors will continue to fund abortion services.

Funds sent by the RNC to Cigna in exchange for the insurance coverage its employees receive are pooled with other funds received from Cigna's other clients -- most of whom, I'm guessing, will continue offering their employees a standard benefits package that includes abortion services.

That's the way insurance works.

So Steele's Thursday afternoon "fix" merely ensures that no RNC employee will use RNC donations to pay for abortion services -- but it doesn't at all prevent RNC donations from being used to fund abortions, because money is fungible.

If Steele and the RNC are truly committed to ensuring that no RNC donors' contributions are used to pay for abortions, then it must find and move its coverage to another health insurance provider -- one that explicitly does not even offer abortion coverage in any of the policies it offers.

Only then, Chairman Steele, will the issue be "settled."

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