Mass. Senate Candidate Coakley Opposes House Reform Bill Because Of Abortion Restrictions

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 12 Nov 2009 - 3:00 PDT


Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) -- one of four candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the state's U.S. Senate seat -- said she opposes the House health care reform bill (HR 3962) because of restrictions on federal funding for abortion coverage, the Boston Globe reports. The House bill includes an amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) that would ban private or public health insurance plans that receive federal subsidies from offering coverage of abortion services, except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the woman's life. Coakley said that protecting a women's access to abortion services is more important than passing health reform legislation (Viser, Boston Globe, 11/10). Coakley is the "presumptive front-runner" for the Democratic nomination, according to the Globe (Viser, Boston Globe, 11/11).

Initially, all of Coakley's rivals repudiated her stance, including Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), who voted in favor of the bill on Saturday (Boston Globe, 11/10). However, Capuano said on Tuesday that he would oppose final health reform legislation if it includes the Stupak amendment. "If the bill comes back the same way as it left the House, I would vote against it," he said, adding, "I am a pro-choice person, and I do believe this is (necessary) to provide health care for everyone." Capuano explained that his vote for the House version of the bill was a vote "to keep the health care debate alive" (Viser, Boston Globe, 11/11).

Stephen Pagliuca, another candidate for the Democratic nomination, called the amendment "repugnant" (LeBlanc, AP/Boston Globe, 11/11). He added, "If the choice is between providing health care to over 30 million people without federal coverage for abortion or to leave them with no coverage at all, I could not in good conscience make the choice to leave them out in the cold." Alan Khazei, the other Democratic candidate, declined to elaborate on the issue in a television interview on Tuesday, the Globe reports. According to the Globe, Khazei had said on Monday that he could vote for a bill that included the provision (Viser, Boston Globe, 11/11). However, like Capuano, Khazei has said he would do so in order to keep the bill alive, the AP/Globe reports.

The Democratic primary is scheduled for Dec. 8, and the special election is scheduled for Jan. 19 (AP/Boston Globe, 11/11).

Globe Editorial Criticizes Coakley

A Boston Globe editorial states that although Coakley "should indeed be angry" over the abortion restrictions in the House bill, her position "is self-defeating." The editorial adds that "despite her reasonable fears about the Stupak amendment, Coakley should bear in mind that if faced with a choice between granting health insurance to 36 million people without abortion coverage, or leaving them with no coverage at all, it is simply inconceivable that Ted Kennedy's successor would deny health care to millions" (Boston Globe, 11/10).

Globe Examines Potential Effect of Antiabortion Amendment in Mass.

Massachusetts officials are "closely monitoring" the antiabortion provisions under consideration in Congress to determine how they would restrict access to abortion coverage granted to state residents under Massachusetts' 2006 health insurance law, the Boston Globe reports. Under the 2006 law, abortion services are covered for women enrolled in subsidized insurance plans. State officials say it is unclear whether abortion provisions in the House bill would affect coverage in Massachusetts. According to the Globe, "if the state used new federal subsidies to replace or augment the fund in its existing system, that new money could come with strings attached limiting abortion coverage" (Wangsness, Boston Globe, 11/11).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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