Breaking: Dems cave on pro-life amendment

UPDATE, 8:10a: Here' an email from a House source, sent in the wee hours, that offers an excellent explanation of what's happening:

After a very long day, the House leadership acquiesced to pro-life Democrats led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) who have demanded a vote on the pro-life Stupak-Pitts amendment.

The Rules Committee reported a rule that allows for consideration of the Stupak-Pitts amendment which was cosponsored by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI), Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), and Chris Smith (R-NJ).

Stupak, Pitts, Kaptur, Dahlkemper, Smith and Lipinski all testified before the House Rules Committee tonight in support of their amendment to address the abortion funding concerns in H.R. 3962.

The amendment maintains the current policy of preventing federal funding for abortion and for benefits packages that include abortion. However, it clarifies that individuals, both who receive affordability credits and who do not, can with their own funds purchase separate supplemental coverage for elective abortions. It also clarifies that private plans that do not receive government subsidies may still offer elective abortions.

The rule for consideration of H.R. 3962 was reported tonight and allows for votes on 2 amendments and a motion to recommit. The amendments are the Stupak/Pitts pro-life amendment and the Republican substitute amendment which would implement a government wide permanent ban on abortion funding.

The House will meet tomorrow morning [JLS: today] at 9 am. Votes on noncontroversial bills are expected before 10 am. If everything goes as planned, the schedule for tomorrow will be as follows. The House will begin debate on the rule for H.R. 3962 followed by 4 hours of general debate on the bill. Once general debate is completed, the House will debate the Stupak/Pitts amendment for 20 minutes, followed by 1 hour of debate on the Republican substitute. Votes on Stupak/Pitts, the Republican substitute, the motion to recommit and final passage could occur at the same time late in the day. There is also a possibility the debate will carry over into Sunday.

This is a critical pro-life vote, and it will be essential to have groups contacting Members urging them to support the Stupak-Ellsworth-Pitts-Kaptur-Dahlkemper-Lipinski-Smith Amendment.

_______________

Email from Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life:

But now, as I write this at 2:41 AM, we've received the news that the Democratic leadership WILL ALLOW A VOTE on the pro-life amendment by Bart Stupak and Joe Pitts!

This is a major victory, as indicated by a CNN news report this morning. Ellsworth must have signed on to the Stupak/Pitts amendment, probably thrilled to do so after the tremendous backlash he got (examples here and here) for his phony pro-life amendment. Incredible that Catholic bishops were directly involved in the deal-making...

Anti-abortion Democrats will be allowed to offer an amendment during the House health care debate Saturday that would ban most abortion coverage from the public option and other insurance providers in the new so-called "exchange" the legislation would create, 3 Democratic sources told CNN.

The prohibition would exclude cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger, known as "Hyde" language.

The hotly anticipated vote on the nearly $1.1 trillion bill by the full House of Representatives is tentatively set for Saturday, but it could be delayed until Sunday. President Obama is expected to visit Capitol Hill on Saturday in hopes of gaining support among Democrats.

House Democratic leadership sources said that win or lose, they hope giving abortion foes the opportunity to vote will clear the way for passage of their health care bill.

Several anti-abortion Democrats will offer the amendment, including Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-IN, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-MI, who are scoring a major victory in convincing Democratic leaders to allow this vote.

It is also a big win for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which used its power, especially with conservative Democrats in swing congressional districts, to help force Democratic leaders to permit a vote that most of them oppose.

"We didn't have a choice," said a Democratic leadership source. "We didn't have the votes" on health care without agreeing to this.

Planned Parenthood decried the amendment, saying it would result in the elimination of abortion coverage currently offered by most private health insurance plans.

"This amendment would violate the spirit of health care reform, which is meant to guarantee quality, affordable health care coverage for all by creating a 2-tiered system that would punish women, particularly those with low and modest incomes," the group said in a statement.

"Women won't stand for legislation that takes away their current benefits and leaves them worse off after health care reform than they are today."

The Democratic sources said people would be able to purchase riders with their own money for insurance that includes abortion coverage.

Stupak and other anti-abortion Democrats have argued for a strict abortion ban for some time, but Ellsworth had offered a less strict compromise measure that would have prohibited taxpayer dollars for abortions.

Liz Farrar, a spokeswoman for Ellsworth, told CNN that some 2 dozen Democratic lawmakers made it clear that they needed assurances from the Catholic bishops before they could sign on -- and that the religious group made clear it wanted to bolster the abortion restrictions.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders were negotiating with the Catholic bishops and their representatives on Friday.

Late-night marathon talks in the speaker's office included staunch supporters of abortion rights, but they broke down.

"We came to the point where we actually had an agreement tonight, but it fell apart," Stupak said....

[HT: LifeNews.com]

Comments

[BillyBoy]

Poor Dan Lipinski, he'll scare away the moderate suburban soccer mommies and never win election in a district that voted for Barack Obama. Hasn't he heard that you have to an absolute 100% abortion-loving darling of NARAL and even support partial birth abortion and oppose partial notification to "win" in the Chicago suburbs? Mark Kirk fans have informed us ignorant right-wing "purists" of this "fact". Suburban voters just LOVE the idea of taxpayer funded abortion on demand under all circumstances. Otherwise a "thoughtful moderate" like Mark Kirk might not vote in lockstep with NARAL... you know, he has a pulse on exactly what voters want.

All those "pro-life Democrats" are dooooooooooooooomed!!! Get with the program people! Let's all be "moderate" like Mark Kirk!

[Pittsburgh Steelers Fan]

Pelosi is just using tactics, let's give these pro lifers a bone for now, take it out later and they would never vote against on final passage. It's a trap!!

Republicans should vote against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. Kill the bill.

[Confused]

Since when is reaching your hand across the aisle for the American people "caving"?

[Ghost of John Brown]

I half way agree with Pittsburgh Steelers Fan (Although the beloved Broncos will crush them Monday night).

See this discussion:

http://minx.cc/?post=294504

This is a chess game with Pelosi. We need to think three steps down the road.