The United States Supreme Court’s decision Thursday to uphold the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, brought staunch disappointment from some members of the American evangelical community.
Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, described the court’s ruling as “devastating,” and an “Alice-in-Wonderland-type of decision.” He also said he believes the decision elevates the upcoming presidential election to a different plain.
“This election in November will be the most important election in American history,” Staver said. “I believe this decision has damaged the image of the Supreme Court in the eyes of the American people. I also believed that it will energize the American people more than ever to go to the polls in November.”
The Affordable Care Act includes an abortion premium mandate, which requires all persons enrolled in insurance plans that include elective abortion coverage to pay a separate premium from their own pockets to fund abortion.
“The Obama administration and the authors of the Affordable Care Act hijacked health care reform as a vehicle for forcing their radical pro-abortion agenda on America,” Yoest said. “The Affordable Care Act forces an abortion agenda on the American people unlike anything seen since Roe vs. Wade. … Congress must repeal these provisions and ensure that any health care law respects life.”
The Supreme Court’s decision brought positive reaction from Obamacare supporters Thursday. CNN.com reported that House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi declared the court’s ruling as “a victory for the American people.”
Pelosi said the Affordable Care Act would prevent children from being denied coverage for pre-existing conditions, lower drug costs for seniors and allow students and young adults to stay on their parents’ plan.
Staver said he is confident that, when the new Congress convenes in January 2013, the Affordable Care Act will be repealed: “The 2008 election brought us Obamacare. The 2012 election will take it away.”
