Commentary

It is hard to believe, but Sen. John McCain seems poised to save Planned Parenthood once again. He announced yesterday that he intended to vote against legislation that would be begin repealing ObamaCare.  Included in that language is a transfer of public funds from Planned Parenthood to legitimate women’s health care providers.

There is still some hope, but time is short. Without action in the next several days, the window will close for using the reconciliation process to enact legislation with just 51 votes.

Despite the terrible abuse suffered by families in Arizona – via horrific hikes in insurance premiums – McCain remains adamant that Democrats be brought into some kind of “compromise” that will take many months to achieve. At a minimum, that means Planned Parenthood continues to receive funding for at least another year.  And ObamaCare will be in place through at least 2018.

But the terms being offered by McCain are actually much worse than a year-long status quo.

So long as he serves in the Senate, McCain’s ultimatum means that ObamaCare survives in some form or another. No national Democrat can afford to defy the prevailing political reality within liberal circles by supporting a plan to destroy Obama’s legacy.  Even more difficult for a Democrat would be a vote to defund Planned Parenthood.

That leaves the nation facing a pretty dark future. Perhaps one only to be corrected by the election of more Republicans to the Senate next year – which, given the current lack of meaningful accomplishment, is going to be a tough sell to the general voting public in November of 2018.

We need to be in prayer that one of the other hold-outs, perhaps Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, may change her mind on repealing ObamaCare.

There is also some hope that Senate Republicans would consider a simpler bill to defund Planned Parenthood using the reconciliation process.  That doesn’t solve the crisis of the nation’s overhaul health care system, but it would be a tremendous step forward in salvaging some of the national GOP’s reputation.