California Taxpayers Pony Up For Abortions

While abortion is still a controversial subject nationwide, in California the state’s taxpayers are actually paying for poor people to get them.  If you think that sounds bad, what would you think if I told you that our federal tax dollars are helping out as well?

In California there are places such as Family Planning Specialists who is labeled as a “reproductive health care facility” but whose real specialty is abortion.  In fact, their “Services” section on their web page only offers a cafeteria menu style selection of abortions and nothing else.  You might not think that’s a big deal, but it becomes a bigger issue when you look at how it’s financed.

You see, an abortion costs anywhere from $400 up to $1,150.  But the state of California actually subsidizes this place.  You see, every poor girl that goes to Family Planning Specialists can get her abortion paid for by California state insurance called Medi-Cal.  Medi-Cal is, of course, paid for by the California taxpayers.

So this year, while Governor Schwarzenegger has announced an anticipated deficit of over $40 billion, Medi-Cal will spend $52 million of taxpayer funds to pay for abortions for poor young women.

To add insult to injury, the federal government’s new $800+ billion “stimulus” package will be sending tens of billions to California to help bail out the state that can’t pay their own debt and whose credit rating is so bad they’re in danger of not being able to borrow any more money.  So that means that you and I will now be paying for abortions in California, no matter what moral objections we may have with the practice.

What has recently brought Family Planning Specialists to the news is the fact that a black Oakland pastor is facing up to two years in prison and $4,000 in fines for standing outside the inner city Family Planning Specialists abortion clinic and holding a sign saying “Jesus Loves You & Your Baby, Let Us Help You,” and offering pro-life literature.  The pastor, Walter Hoye, founder and chairman of the Issues4Life Foundation, was found guilty of “unlawful approach” under the “Access to Reproductive Health Care Facilities Ordinance” enacted in Oakland in 2008.

The ordinance prohibits anyone, within 100 feet of the entrance to a “reproductive health facility,” to approach within eight feet of a client “for the purpose of counseling, harassing, or interfering” with that person.  In the case of Walter Hoye, “harassing” meant holding up a sign.

The circumstances behind Pastor Hoye’s conviction are both disturbing and outrageous.  During his trial, no actual “victim” testified against him — there was only testimony from those with an interest in the clinic — employees and volunteers, and no specific incident was cited.  Videotape evidence showed Hoye standing peacefully holding his sign and materials.  The convicting jury was given no instructions regarding the definition of “approach.”  Since Hoye was convicted, I’m guessing they weren’t the brightest candidates from the jury pool.

But this is the sort of thing we can expect to see more often in the near future, especially if Obama’s FOCA gets passed.  Once that happens there will be little we can do to stop our tax money from being spent on abortions and speaking out against them will find us all in similar positions to Pastor Hoye.  I know many people reading this won’t believe what I’m saying, but the evidence is literally right in front of us.