Phony Abortion Compromise Adopted in House Health Care Bill

Last Friday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked-up and passed H.R 3200, the House health care reform bill.  Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA) offered amendments to stop the abortion mandates inherent in the plan.  The committee leadership was ready with a phony “compromise” measure to provide “cover” for House members as they hold town hall meetings in their districts.

The “compromise” amendment was offered by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) who has a zero percent pro-life voting record.  That was the first clue that this was phony.  The Capps amendment, in effect, would result in elective abortions being covered under the government-operated “public plan” the bill would create, and would allow federal subsidies to flow to private insurance plans that cover elective abortions.   The committed adopted the Capps amendment and rejected the real pro-life amendment offered by Stupak-Pitts.

We have the month of August to defeat this plan.  And, it must be defeated outright because the House and Senate leadership will bring up the various bills under rules that do not allow members to offer amendments from the floor.

We continue on Red Alert to defeat this monstrous plan.

Barbara Lyons