St. Cloud Times political reporter Mark Sommerhauser has done what good reporters are supposed to: fact-check the public assertions of elected officials — and his preliminary finding is that “independent experts … are disputing [Michele] Bachmann’s abortion claims.”

That should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed Bachmann’s political career; the paranoid Minnesota congresswoman has a track record strewn with tall tales, blatantly false claims, and crackpot conspiracy theories.

There’s much in the new health care legislation that’s fair game for legitimate criticism. But to shamelessly and dishonestly scare constituents who care about protecting life with baseless fearmongering is not only indefensible; it’s irresponsible and a dereliction of duty.

The Political Quarry St. Cloud Times reporters keep you up to date on the people and policies that make up local, state and national politics.

Bachmann: Health care bill will lead to more abortions Posted by MarkSommerhauser at 3/23/2010 3:19 PM CDT on sctimes.com

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, has said plenty the last few days about the federal health care bill paying for and leading to more abortions.

Bachmann continued hammering that point on Monday, telling reporter Larry Bivins that “no one can call themselves pro-life if they voted for this bill.”

Bachmann’s abortion claims are disputed by Democrats, as you’ve likely heard.

Political Quarry is chasing the truth by seeking interpretations from legal and health policy experts without ties to politicians or interest groups. So far, the independent experts also are disputing Bachmann’s abortion claims.

Bachmann is siding with groups like the Family Research Council and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, who favored the abortion language of the health care bill that passed the U.S. House last year. The final bill that passed Sunday, they say, offers weaker protections against federal dollars going to abortion.

Those critics say the health care bill could subsidize individuals for purchasing insurance plans that cover abortion. But anyone on those plans who wants an abortion would have to pay for the procedure separately, out of pocket.

Political Quarry spoke today to Hamline University health law professor Cindy Jesson, who’s followed the federal health care debate closely. Jesson flatly said the bill doesn’t use federal dollars to pay for abortions.

So too say other independent legal experts like Washington and Lee University professor Timothy Stolzfus Jost and the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan policy analysis group.

Can any Political Quarry readers point to an independent analysis that says otherwise?

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Related report

“Where did you get this BS you’re trying to feed the American public?”

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 Video update

‘Passionate debate’ dictates careful treading (NBC Nightly News, March 24, 2010) — Amid heated debate over health care reform, President Obama signed an executive order Wednesday making clear the new health care law does not allow federal funding of abortion. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reports. (02:17)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — March 24, 2009

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) at the Sartell SummerFest Parade, Saturday, June 14, 2008, promising $2 gas with a “Drill Here, Drill Now” strategy of increasing the oil supply. (Photo credit: St. Cloud Times)

Bachmann Call for Armed Revolt?

One-year retrospective: One year ago today, I reported that U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann said she wanted people in Minnesota “armed and dangerous” on the issue of an energy tax, “because we need to fight back” and “having a revolution every now and then is a good thing.”