Some Antiabortion Democrats Conflicted Over Support For Health Reform

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 22 Mar 2010 - 0:00 PDT

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As House Democratic leaders prepare for a Sunday vote on health reform legislation, they continue to target votes from a group of antiabortion-rights Democrats who supported the House reform bill (HR 3962) in November 2009 but oppose the abortion language in the Senate reform legislation (HR 3590), the Washington Post reports.

To move health reform, Democrats aim to have the House approve the Senate bill, along with a budget reconciliation bill that includes a series of changes to appease various lawmakers, according to the Post (Montgomery/Kane, Washington Post, 3/19). Although some members had sought to replace the Senate's abortion language with the House's Stupak language, such a change is not permissible in the reconciliation bill, which limits provisions to those determined to have a budgetary impact (Epstein, CQ Today, 3/18).

Stupak's amendment to the House bill would prohibit insurance companies receiving federal subsidies from offering abortion coverage, even if paid for with private funds. The Senate bill would allow health plans that receive government subsidies to offer abortion coverage, although no government funds could be used to pay for that coverage. To ensure that only private funds are used to pay for abortion coverage, customers would be required to make two monthly premium payments -- one to pay for abortion coverage and one for all other services. Insurers also would be required to keep funds in separate accounts (Women's Health Policy Report, 3/18).

Despite Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-Mich.) insistence that about one dozen antiabortion-rights House members will oppose the final measure over the abortion issue, a number of such members have indicated in recent days that they will support the Senate language or are still weighing how to vote (CQ Today, 3/18).

Antiabortion-rights Reps. Dave Kildee (D-Mich.) and Charlie Wilson (D-Ohio) -- who both have said they will support the Senate bill -- on Thursday held a press conference to defend their support for the bill and to explain their support for the abortion language. The Hill reports that the press conference was a response to another press conference by five Republican lawmakers -- Sens. Sam Brownback (Kan.), Orrin Hatch (Utah) and Mike Johanns (Neb.), and Reps. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (Wash.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) -- who claimed that the Senate bill would provide public money for abortion.

Kildee, who noted that he spent six years studying in a Catholic seminary, said, "I am absolutely convinced the original intent of the Hyde Amendment is in the Senate bill." Wilson added that he is "confident the Senate bill upholds my pro-life values" (Rushing, The Hill, 3/18). According to the Christian Science Monitor, "the defection of Kildee was especially tough for" Stupak (Feldmann, Christian Science Monitor, 3/18).

The Republicans charge that money in the Senate bill for community health centers amounts to funding of abortion. However, Timothy Jost, a law professor at the Washington and Lee School of Law, said that the federal funding for community health centers already is restricted under the Hyde Amendment. "This is a pro-life bill, and pro-life men and women should support it," Jost said (Rushing, The Hill, 3/18).

Kaptur Suggests Separate Abortion Vote

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) -- an abortion-rights opponent and "a bellwether among conservative Democrats" -- remains undecided on the issue, according to the Post (Washington Post, 3/19). Ellsworth said his vote would hinge upon whether he considers the Senate's abortion language strong enough, adding, "There's not any other huge issue for me" (CQ Today, 3/18).

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), an abortion-rights opponent who remains undecided, said she would consider voting for reform if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) schedules a separate vote allowing antiabortion-rights lawmakers to affirm their support for Stupak's abortion language.

Kaptur -- who said Pelosi has not signaled openness to the suggestion -- said reform legislation likely would reduce the total number of abortions, premature births and birth defects by expanding coverage for pregnant women.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, rejected the idea of a second vote. "We're not going to do that," DeGette said, adding, "We don't know it would die in the Senate. The stakes are too high" (Dennis, Roll Call, 3/18).

Votes Expected This Weekend

Because the Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the plan's cost Thursday and House leaders have pledged to provide lawmakers with 72 hours for review, a vote on the legislation is expected Sunday, according to The Hill. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told lawmakers to anticipate votes on Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday after 2 p.m. (Allen/Young, The Hill, 3/18). If a vote is held Sunday and Democrats approve the legislation, President Obama could sign the measure soon after the vote, even if the Senate is unable to pass the budget reconciliation bill until the following week (Washington Post, 3/19).

Abstinence-Only Funds Remain in Senate Bill

The Senate bill still contains $50 million per year for five years for federal grants to states for abstinence-only programs, the Colorado Independent reports (Tomasic, Colorado Independent, 3/18). An amendment to reinstate funding for the lapsed program was added by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) during the Senate Finance Committee markup last fall (Women's Health Policy Report, 1/4).

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in a statement Thursday said, "Currently, an extension for the failed Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage state grant program remains in the Senate bill that will serve as the vehicle for the final health care package," noting that the "Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program expired in June 2009 and had not been renewed by Congress" (Colorado Independent, 3/18).

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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