Anti-Abortion Groups Target House Democrats in
Letter-Writing Campaign | None |
Site last published: 02/03/10
Anti-Abortion Groups Target House Democrats in Letter-Writing Campaign
January 11,2010
Congressional Quarterly
Alex Wayne
Anti-abortion groups are mounting an effort to portray the Senate's health care overhaul as an expansion of abortion services, in the hopes that they can convince anti-abortion House Democrats to insist on language that would restrict insurance coverage for the procedure.
The National Right to Life Committee sent a letter Jan. 9 to some House Democrats outlining provisions of the Senate-passed bill (HR 3590) that it believes could expand the availability of abortion services. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Monday that it had sent material to be inserted in church bulletins across the country urging parishioners to call their representatives and oppose the Senate's abortion language. And the Knights of Columbus' leader, Carl A. Anderson, sent a letter Jan. 5 to state chapter directors asking them to urge their members to call Congress.
"We must prevent this health care legislation from becoming the largest expansion of abortion in our country since Roe v. Wade," Anderson wrote, referring to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that affirmed a woman's right to end a pregnancy.
No single issue in the health care overhaul has proved more difficult for Democratic leaders to reconcile than abortion. The House-passed bill (HR 3962) includes an amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., that would prohibit insurance plans receiving federal subsidies from covering the procedure. Stupak forced a vote on the amendment by threatening to rally enough votes to sink the underlying bill unless he prevailed.
The Senate bill is not as restrictive. It would attempt to prevent federal funding for abortion coverage by requiring people buying subsidized policies to make two monthly payments to their insurers -- one to cover abortion services, and one for all other medical coverage.
Stupak says he and 10 or 11 other Democrats will vote against the final health care bill if it includes the Senate language instead of his amendment. But more than 40 House Democrats who support abortion rights have signed a letter threatening to vote against the final bill it if includes the Stupak language.
It is not clear whether Democrats would have the votes to pass the legislation without Stupak and his allies.
Douglas Johnson, policy director for the National Right to Life Committee, declined to say which Democrats the group targeted with its letter. He said it was aimed at members "who we believe, based on their past support for the [Stupak] amendment and other votes, and based on public opinion in their districts, do not want to vote for language that would vastly expand abortion through federal subsidies and pro-abortion administrative mandates."
A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman said Monday, "It is unfortunate that anti-choice activists have hijacked the health care reform bill to push their ongoing agenda to make abortion illegal."
Alex Wayne
Anti-abortion groups are mounting an effort to portray the Senate's health care overhaul as an expansion of abortion services, in the hopes that they can convince anti-abortion House Democrats to insist on language that would restrict insurance coverage for the procedure.
The National Right to Life Committee sent a letter Jan. 9 to some House Democrats outlining provisions of the Senate-passed bill (HR 3590) that it believes could expand the availability of abortion services. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Monday that it had sent material to be inserted in church bulletins across the country urging parishioners to call their representatives and oppose the Senate's abortion language. And the Knights of Columbus' leader, Carl A. Anderson, sent a letter Jan. 5 to state chapter directors asking them to urge their members to call Congress.
"We must prevent this health care legislation from becoming the largest expansion of abortion in our country since Roe v. Wade," Anderson wrote, referring to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that affirmed a woman's right to end a pregnancy.
No single issue in the health care overhaul has proved more difficult for Democratic leaders to reconcile than abortion. The House-passed bill (HR 3962) includes an amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., that would prohibit insurance plans receiving federal subsidies from covering the procedure. Stupak forced a vote on the amendment by threatening to rally enough votes to sink the underlying bill unless he prevailed.
The Senate bill is not as restrictive. It would attempt to prevent federal funding for abortion coverage by requiring people buying subsidized policies to make two monthly payments to their insurers -- one to cover abortion services, and one for all other medical coverage.
Stupak says he and 10 or 11 other Democrats will vote against the final health care bill if it includes the Senate language instead of his amendment. But more than 40 House Democrats who support abortion rights have signed a letter threatening to vote against the final bill it if includes the Stupak language.
It is not clear whether Democrats would have the votes to pass the legislation without Stupak and his allies.
Douglas Johnson, policy director for the National Right to Life Committee, declined to say which Democrats the group targeted with its letter. He said it was aimed at members "who we believe, based on their past support for the [Stupak] amendment and other votes, and based on public opinion in their districts, do not want to vote for language that would vastly expand abortion through federal subsidies and pro-abortion administrative mandates."
A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman said Monday, "It is unfortunate that anti-choice activists have hijacked the health care reform bill to push their ongoing agenda to make abortion illegal."