Gov. Sebelius: Not in Kansas Anymore

Tony Perkins, Family Research Council: While the nation's capital tries to dig out from its biggest winter storm in three years, President Obama is hoping that the latest news on his Cabinet stays buried in it. Confirming the weekend rumors, President Obama officially tapped Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) to lead his charge for government-controlled health care as Secretary of HHS. Sebelius's nomination, which came one month after Tom Daschle's withdrawal, drew immediate fire from pro-lifers and Kansas state leaders. Not only has Sebelius proven to be more radical on abortion than Daschle but the Governor is dogged by an unimpressive state record on the very health care policies she is being asked to implement nationally.

During her two terms as governor, Sebelius struggled to decrease the number of the uninsured and lower health care costs. As locals point out, the number of Kansans without health care actually grew seven times faster under her watch than the national average. According to a statement from the Kansas GOP, "Since the Governor took office, the number of people covered by commercial health insurance has decreased by approximately 15%. [That's] not reform."

The appointment of Sebelius will have lasting implications for the culture of life as HHS's $700 billion budget makes it one of the largest government agencies. If confirmed, the Governor's record suggests that she wouldn't hesitate to inject her views on abortion that are far outside mainstream. As a state representative, Sebelius voted against parental notification on abortion, informed consent, and abortion waiting periods. Nothing could be more troubling to America's families that to put someone in charge of overhauling the healthcare system who is on record saying the government knows what's better for minor children than their parents. She followed up on her notoriety in the Kansas House by vetoing bills as governor that would regulate abortion clinics and protect pregnant mothers.

How ironic that Sebelius, who would be the fourth woman in Obama's Cabinet, has paved her road to HHS by actively defeating bills that promote the well being of women. In the fight to safeguard health, women and children deserve better. See also: FRCBlog: Change Watch Backgrounder: Kathleen Sebelius

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Tags: abortion, Barack Obama, FRC, health care, kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, nominee, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tony Perkins, Washington Update To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!