Abortion Funding is Derailing Obamacare

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and socially conservative Democrats forced Nancy Pelosi to put strong antiabortion funding language in the House version of Obamacare. The Senate version does not contain that language and Stupak and at least 12 other Democrats are telling Pelosi they will not vote for the Senate version without language to prohibit forced funding of abortion.

“It’s accurate to say there are at least 12 of us who voted for healthcare that have indicated to the speaker and others that unless you change this language, we will vote against it,” Stupak said during an appearance on MSNBC. …

The congressman’s comments come on the heels of his claims last week, when he said he knows of 15-20 Democratic lawmakers who are witholding support for the bill because of “other problems.” But it is not clear if or how many overlap between the two groups.

Pelosi must first pass the Senate version of Obamacare for their 'reconciliation' dreams to come true. Then, the plan is to make changes desired by the House to the Senate version by the reconciliation process. Of course, after the House passes the Senate version, President Obama can sign it into law without any additional changes. President Obama and Harry Reid oppose adding language to prevent federal funding of abortion to the bill. There is no guarantee the changes the House want would ever get passed. The Senate could fail to pursue the changes aggressively or Republicans could block them. How is Nancy Pelosi responding to this conundrum? She lying through her teeth. She denies there is funding for abortion in the Senate version Obamacare and tries to pretend it is even a big issue.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi got exasperated when asked at her weekly news conference about the unwillingness of some Democrats – including Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) – to support the health bill because of abortion language.

“Let me say this: This is not about abortion! This is a bill about providing quality, affordable health care for all Americans,” she said, more eager than ever to stay on message as her legacy becomes increasingly tied to what happens in the next few weeks....

“I will not have it turned into a debate on (abortion),” she said, when asked a follow-up question about Stupak. “Let me say it clearly: we all agree on the three following things. … One is there is no federal funding for abortion. That is the law of the land. It is not changed in this bill. There is no change in the access to abortion. No more or no less: It is abortion neutral in terms of access or diminution of access. And, third, we want to pass a health care bill.”

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) is politely calling Pelosi a liar when she claims the Senate health care reform bill doesn't force taxpayers to fund abortion.

Stupak also fired back at Speaker Nancy Pelosi, disputing her claims at a news conference three hours earlier that the Senate health bill won't allow federal funding for abortion.

"She's incorrect," he said. "I'd ask the speaker to direct her attention to page 2069 through page 2078. There are two ways in those pages where you pay for abortion. Number one, you get tax breaks that subsidize your insurance policy that will pay for abortion. Number two, when you read the legislation, one dollar per month for all enrollees, must go into this fund for 'reproductive care,' which includes abortion coverage."