The Health Care Reform Law passed last year has already led to attempts to use taxpayer funds to pay for abortion (see “Attempts to Fund Abortions with Tax Dollars”). In the House of Representatives, the new Congress is attempting to repeal this law and the first step came last week with H.R. 2 “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act”. The bill was overwhelmingly passed in the House on Wednesday, January 19, 2011.

The bill is not expected to be heard in the Senate, as the Democratic Party, which controls the Senate, has no interest in passing legislation that would limit abortion-on-demand in the United States. When asked if the Senate would hear the repeal bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) simply stated, “No.” Ironically, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) acknowledged the perfect Law of God when he said, “We … believe that the only perfect law ever enacted was carried down the mountain by Senator Moses.” How then, does he support the health care law that supports taxpayer funded abortions in light of the Fifth Commandment?

Although some are saying that the members of the House who are sponsoring H.R. 2 are merely taking part in a political exercise, it should be noted that they are fulfilling their promise to their constituents: i.e. working on the repeal of legislation that devalues human life by providing taxpayer funded abortions. Since the Health Care Repeal bill was voted on in the House, another pro-life bill has been introduced: H.R. 3 “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.” This act is even more important as it will codify the Hyde Amendment banning the use of federal funds paying for abortion through Medicaid.

As Luther teaches, we are citizens of two kingdoms, and as such we have a duty to participate in our civil government. Thus, Lutherans should use this opportunity to let their elected officials know that any taxpayer funding of abortions (including funding of the United Nations as they export abortions worldwide through the International Planned Parenthood Federation or on military bases, as well as the health care system) is not acceptable.

Surgical abortions already end the lives of 1.2 million American babies every year. We should not allow the increase of senseless murders of the innocent pre-born by making it easier to obtain an abortion-on-demand by funding it with taxpayer dollars.

Just as importantly, as Luther also instructs us in the Large Catechism, by not speaking out, and by allowing our tax dollars to be used to pay for murder, we are complicit in the sin of abortion.

Now is the time to contact your representatives to let them know that H.R. 3 should be passed to ensure that future congresses cannot fund abortions with your tax dollars simply by allowing the Hyde Amendment to fall by the wayside. It is also time to contact your senators to let them know that they need to allow discussion on the Senate floor on H.R. 2. By allowing one person (Reid) to deny public discussion on a law that most Americans do not want funded from their own pockets is not how a “representative government” works.