Chairman
Steele
Nixes Abortion Coverage for RNC Employees
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the Republican Party leads the fight against
federal funding of abortion in health care legislation, the Chairman of
the Republican National Committee (RNC) has ordered the immediate
discontinuation of abortion coverage for his own employees after the
coverage was publicized in a news report Thursday.
"Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose,"
Steele said in a statement following a Politico report that revealed
the existence of elective abortion coverage in the RNC plan. "I don't
know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under
my administration. Consider this issue settled."
Politico confirmed that elective abortion coverage had been available
to GOP staff through its Cigna insurance plan since 1991.
In a memo to nationwide committee members following the Politico
report, RNC Chief of Staff Ken McKay said Chairman Steele "had already
called for an official review of our health insurance policy along with
a number of other operational items."
"The review of our health insurance policy has been underway for some
time and that review continues," wrote McKay. "I can assure you
that
the Chairman takes this issue very seriously."
The GOP traditionally upholds a pro-life platform, one that Steele has
vowed to strongly maintain as a pro-life Catholic. Nonetheless,
Steele
has earned sharp criticism from pro-life leaders for his statements on
abortion - which appear largely guided by his stated priority of
widening the party base - since his ascendency to the chairmanship in
January.
Contact: Kathleen
Gilbert
Source:
LifeSiteNews.com
Publish
Date:
November 13, 2009
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Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state
coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of
Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our
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persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has
been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the
human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that
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