Abortion-Rights Supporters, Opponents Vow To Mobilize In Wake Of Health Reform Debate

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 24 Mar 2010 - 4:00 PDT


Abortion-rights opponents and supporters both say the health reform debate has re-energized their efforts to elect lawmakers in the November elections who will support their agendas, Politico reports.

NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan said that the debate affirmed the need for abortion-rights advocates to secure more allies in Congress to fight attempts to restrict abortion. "From our point of view, we are concentrated on changing those numbers," she said, adding, "We absolutely will be taking a look at those antiabortion lawmakers, and if we can, we will take a run at them."

EMILY'S List President Stephanie Schriock said in an e-mail, "One thing was made incredibly clear, and that is with more pro-choice Democratic women in Congress, the way this debate unfolded could have been remarkably different." While the bill includes many benefits for women, EMILY'S List "is more determined than ever to elect women who will fight to protect women, their health and reproductive freedom," Schriock added.

Antiabortion-rights advocates also say they will be working to elect allies in upcoming elections, Politico reports. Tom McClusky, vice president of governmental affairs for the Family Research Council, said Sunday's House health reform vote amounted to a "betrayal" for antiabortion-rights supporters. FRC already has contributed nearly $2 million this election cycle toward supporting antiabortion-rights candidates across the U.S. The group also might target antiabortion-right Democrats who voted for health reform, including Reps. Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), Alan Mollohan (W.Va.) and Nick Rahall (W.Va.).

Stupak Targeted for Reform Vote

One lawmaker who likely will "find himself at the center of the storm" is Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who led a group of antiabortion-rights House Democrats in a push for additional restrictions on abortion coverage, Politico reports (Isenstadt, Politico, 3/23). After opposing the Senate health reform bill (HR 3590) for most of the debate, Stupak announced his support for the bill after the Obama administration agreed to issue an executive order after the bill is signed into law to reaffirm that federal funds will not be used for abortion. The last-minute compromise won over Stupak and six of his colleagues, helping to secure the bill's passage.

Stupak's reversal has "infuriated" antiabortion-rights advocates, who argue that Stupak betrayed the cause by switching his vote, the Washington Times reports. The Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports antiabortion-rights political candidates, stripped Stupak of a "Defender of Life" award it planned to present to him on Wednesday (Duin, Washington Times, 3/23).

According to Politico, Stupak already is seeing a "surge in election activity" in his home-district, including a challenge for the Democratic nomination from former Charlevoix County, Mich., Commissioner Connie Saltonstall. The National Organization for Women and MI List, a group that works to elect abortion-rights supporters, recently endorsed Saltonstall. Keenan said NARAL will weigh in on the race in the coming days.

Stupak also is facing challenges from Republicans, including Dan Benishek, a surgeon who said Sunday's vote has sparked a wave of interest in his campaign (Politico, 3/23). In addition, Republican Dennis Lennox, a Michigan county official, is forming an exploratory committee to consider a run against Stupak (AP/WLNS, 3/23).

Schakowsky Discusses Next Steps

In an interview on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Monday, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus discussed abortion-rights supporters' goals in the wake of the executive order agreement. Schakowsky said that "there are ways that I believe that we can expand the provisions under the Hyde Amendment to give more access." She continued, "We needed to do this to get the votes. But let me just read to you, [the statement on the executive order] says, 'The president has said from the start that this health insurance reform should not be the forum to upset longstanding precedent. The health care legislation and this executive order are consistent with this principle.'"

Schakowsky said she believes the "president actually went out of his way to make sure that he was not codifying Hyde." She added, "I know that [Stupak] used that language on the floor. He said that this codifies Hyde -- it does not. Codify specifically means put in statutory language, and it doesn't do that" (Maddow, "The Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 3/22).

Republican Apologizes for Outburst on House Floor

In related news, Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) on Monday said he has apologized to Stupak for yelling the words "baby killer" during Sunday's floor debate on health care reform, The Hill reports. Neugeberger said he was not referring to Stupak personally and that the remark was in reference to the bill (Yager, The Hill, 3/22).

In a statement, Neugebauer said, "While I remain heartbroken over the passage of this bill and the tragic consequences it will have for the unborn, I deeply regret that my actions were mistakenly interpreted as a direct reference to Congressman Stupak himself" (Kane, Washington Post, 3/23).

Stupak said Monday on MSNBC's "Hardball" that he has accepted Neugebauer's apology, adding that it is "unfortunate that it gets to this point" (Smerconish, "Hardball," MSNBC, 3/22).

Washington Times Editorial Calls Executive Order 'Political Cover' for Democrats

Stupak "sounded good when he held himself up as the pro-life hero standing against his party's juggernaut for taxpayer-funded abortion in the health care bill," but "when push came to shove" Stupak "rolled over for them," the Washington Times says in an editorial. It adds that the agreement to issue an executive order "was nothing more than political cover for Democrats to mislead voters that they're pro-life" (Washington Times, 3/22).

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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