House leadership fighting to silence pro-life health care amendment debate

October 27, 11:45 AMDC Catholic Living ExaminerDenise Hunnell, M.D.

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        (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) is pushing hard to bring a pro-life amendment to the floor of the House when the current health care bill comes up for a vote. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is working to prevent this fearing such an amendment would pass. Rep. Stupak must hold together a coalition of 40 Democrats and the whole Republican voting bloc in order to force a floor debate and vote on an amendment to include Hyde amendment language in the health care bill and prevent expansion of federal abortion funding.

The major hurdle is the procedural rules vote. This will determine which, if any, amendments can be debated when the bill is open on the floor of the House. Right now, Speaker Pelosi and Rules Committee chairman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) are trying to stop the inclusion of the Stupak amendment. According to Rep. Stupak, they have admitted privately that such an amendment would likely pass. Americans do not favor the federal funding of abortion.

In an interview with LIfeSiteNews.com Rep. Stupak relates an interesting exchange between himself and President Obama following the President's address on health care to a joint session of Congress:

"[Obama] said: 'What it says is, under 'my' plan,' meaning the President's plan," said Stupak.  "And I said, 'With all due respect sir, you do not have a plan. The only plan we have out is the House plan.'  So, I don't know if it's a game of semantics, or what."

The congressman said that, when he pressed the topic, "[Obama] said: 'Go back and work with the people in your committee, and get this matter worked out.  Work with the speaker.  Work with us, would you?'  And I said, 'Yes I would.'

"And we've tried.  And we - but we haven't been able to resolve our differences, because we do not want public funds going for abortion."

 

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops have stated that a lack of explicit exclusion of abortion funding is grounds for Catholics to oppose the health care reform legislation.

For more info: 

Susan B. Anthony List information on abortion and health care legislation

LIfeSiteNews.com on pending House vote