Abortion Essentially Excluded From House Health Care Bill
In a last-minute compromise designed to secure a majority vote for its health care reform bill, House Democratic leaders agreed Saturday to essentially exclude abortion coverage from their bill except for insurance policies paid exclusively with private money, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The amendment proposed by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), approved 240 to 194, prohibits coverage of abortions in a new government-run health insurance plan.
The Times reported that abortion rights advocates say the result would be a “de facto ban” on abortion in insurance plans sold under the new exchanges that would be created in the bill, because so many of the customers using the exchanges would be getting subsidies.
On Sunday’s “This Week”, Democratic Strategist Donna Brazile said on the roundtable discussion that she thinks the Stupak Amendment which was added to the health care bill that passed the House last night effectively makes abortion illegal.
The LA Times reported that the compromise resulting from Stupak’s amendment won immediate support from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which urged Catholics to “lend their full-throated support” to the Democrats’ healthcare bill.
“The bishops’ stamp of approval means that this bill is unambiguously pro-life and we will vigorously oppose those who suggest otherwise,” the conference said in a statement.
In a letter to Congress, the National Right to Life Committee described the vote on the amendment as “the most important House roll call on federal funding of abortion” in more than a decade.
