Sebelius finally confirmed by Senate on Tuesday

On Tuesday, the Senate finally confirmed Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

It's about time. The Republicans had done their best to stall the confirmation process because they believe she is "pro-abortion".

The GOP's protests are silly on a number of levels.

First of all, the Republicans claimed that she had an "extreme pro-abortion record". However, that is simply not true. Sebelius is a Catholic who personally opposes abortion. But, as Governor of Kansas, she has been patriotic enough to respect the separation of church and state and therefore has vetoed some abortion restrictions. As she understands, Kansas is not supposed to be a theocracy. And she has stood up for the health of the mother in situations where the mother's life would be at risk. The Republicans, apparently, don't care so much about the mother's wellbeing.

Second, in her role, abortion will likely not be an issue she will deal with very much. She's got a full plate as it is, with the potential for a swine flu pandemic, the need to design and implement major health care reforms, and other health-related issues.

At a federal level, when it comes to abortion, the Supreme Court has spoken via Roe v. Wade. That's out of the hands of the Department of Health and Human Services.

So don't worry, guys, she's not going to implement a program of forced abortions for everyone.

Finally, let's look at the facts on Sebelius's record as Governor:

• Abortion dropped 8.5% from 2002 to 2007 in Kansas

• Teen pregnancy dropped 7% from 2002 to 2006

• Funding for adoption support increased by $2.1 million

• She signed a law doubling the adoption tax credit

• She signed a law aiding in the adoption process

So there you have it. This is not an anti-life record by any stretch.

And so, ironically, with all the noise and all the stalling, Sebelius was confirmed by a pretty wide margin of 65-31. And that says a lot.