Video: The House set to vote on health care reform but abortion issue could derail everything

November 7, 12:39 PMPolitical Buzz ExaminerRyan Witt

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing the bill through.  AP Photo Harry Hamburg

It is D-Day for health care reform n the House of Representatives and it is not altogether clear that Democrats will win the battle.  The bill is being debated right now with both sides repeating their talking points before what the Democrats hope is a final vote on the measure.  Republicans are trying to use some parliamentary tactics to delay the vote if possible.

Last night the Democrats were short of the 218 votes they needed to pass the bill last night which led to a meeting that went past midnight.  The issue of abortion was evidently the culprit as conservative Democrats threatened to withhold their votes unless tighter restrictions were put on abortion funding. 

Direct funding for abortions is currently against the law and the current form of the bill keeps that language.   However that funding does indirectly go to abortion through government subsidies and some have argued that increased funding of health care will lead to more indirect funding of abortions.  Some liberals have argued that it is impossible to prevent all federal funds from going to abortions as even unemployment checks could theoretically be used for an abortion if the recipient used the funds in such a way.

Conservatives reportedly won the fight over the abortion issue and Speaker Pelosi was essentially forced to let them offer an amendment later today which will put even more restrictions on any funding that may go toward abortions.  The amendment will likely pass as all Republicans and some conservative Democrats vote for it.  The question then will be whether the most liberal members of Congress continue to support the bill.  If liberals refuse to support a bill with abortion funding restrictions then the Democrats will lack the votes they need to pass it through.  Right now Democrats are confident they have the 218 votes but things could change by the end of the day.

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