The abortion-rights lobby is increasing efforts to prevent the House health reform bill's (HR 3962) abortion restrictions from being included in the Senate version of the legislation or a final bill that comes out of conference committee, the New York Times reports. Groups that advocate for abortion rights "got into the act two weeks ago," when the House voted to include an amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) that bans the use of federal subsidies for insurance plans that cover abortion services, the Times reports.
Since that vote, the fundraising reaction for abortion-rights advocacy groups "has been phenomenal, like a match dropped on dry kindling," Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said. Richards said that PPFA has "seen money coming in at every level," adding that Stupak "managed to crystallize this movement in a way that is hard to replicate." According to the Times, a recent article in the online version of Cosmopolitan magazine directed readers to PPFA's "Stop Stupak" Web site.
Several other abortion-rights groups have created campaigns aimed at blocking the Stupak language from progressing beyond the House bill. "Stop Stupak!" is the headline for an online petition that also serves as a fundraiser for the group EMILY's List. Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's List, said women "are up in arms." She added that the group is making an exception to its no-lobbying policy to pressure the female lawmakers it helped elect. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee's "Stop Stupak" campaign has raised over $23,000 from more than 700 donors since it started on Nov. 11, the Times reports.
NARAL Pro-Choice America's Web site also includes a fundraising solicitation that says, "Stop Abortion Coverage Ban!" while also telling supporters that "women could lose the right to use their own personal, private funds to purchase an insurance plan with abortion coverage in the new health system" (Kirkpatrick, New York Times, 11/24). The group is sponsoring automated calls that connect voters to their senators' offices so they can express their opposition to the Stupak amendment.
The Center for Reproductive Rights has aired television ads criticizing the Stupak amendment. Nancy Northup, president of CRR, said, "At least it will be a fully engaged debate on both sides," adding, "It really wasn't the first time around. It was a midnight deal" (Bendavid, Wall Street Journal, 11/24).
Antiabortion-rights groups are also rallying around the Stupak amendment. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, said, "It is far and away, in the history of our group, the biggest fulcrum of activism we have ever had" (New York Times, 11/24).
On Tuesday, a network of more than 30 groups that support abortion rights will announce the creation of the Coalition to Pass Health Care Reform and Stop Stupak. According to the Wall Street Journal, abortion-rights groups are planning a mass lobbying and rallying effort in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, the week the Senate floor debate begins.
The Senate health reform bill, released last week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), does not include the Stupak language. While it precludes federal funds from being used to cover abortion care, it would allow insurance plans that receive federal subsidies to cover abortion services if they segregate federal funds from consumers' contributions and only use the private funds to pay for abortion coverage.
While abortion-rights supporters have said they will accept Reid's language as a compromise, some Senate abortion-rights opponents have threatened to vote against a bill that does not include language similar to the Stupak amendment, the Journal reports. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is expected to offer a similar amendment, which would need at least 51 votes to pass. According to the Journal, there are only two Democratic senators that are considered strongly opposed to abortion rights -- Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.). Furthermore, many Senate abortion-rights supporters say they will not support a final bill if it includes additional restrictions (Wall Street Journal, 11/24).
Nelson has said he would not vote for a final bill unless his concerns about abortion coverage are considered, as well as his opposition to the public plan option, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports (Alonso-Zaldivar, AP/Dallas Morning News, 11/23). Nelson received criticism from Republicans in Nebraska, including the state GOP Chair Mark Fahleson, for voting to advance Reid's bill to the Senate floor for debate without more restrictions on abortion coverage, the AP/NTV reports (Funk, AP/NTV, 11/23).
Senate Democratic leadership is continuing to try and persuade moderates to support Reid's bill, "even as Republicans turned up the heat" on them, the AP/Morning News reports. Regardless, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, "We're not going to not pass a bill," adding that Democrats will pass the bill with or without Republican support (AP/Dallas Morning News, 11/23).
Catholic Church Without Senator To Carry Antiabortion Amendment
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has said it will not endorse the Senate bill unless it includes language similar to the Stupak amendment. However, the group has not yet found a senator willing to sponsor its amendment to include the same restrictions, Politico reports. Richard Doerflinger, head of USCCB's antiabortion-rights efforts, said the Stupak amendment "is the only language offered so far that actually reflects longstanding current abortion policy instead of violating it." Doerflinger said that "having the same language approved in both the House and Senate helps to avoid mischief in any future negotiations between the two chambers," although church leaders "would not refuse" to consider other language (Cummings, Politico, 11/23).
Time Examines Role of Sen. Casey in Abortion Debate
In related news, Time on Tuesday examined the role Casey is playing in the Senate's debate over abortion coverage. Time reports that Casey, who is one of 15 senators targeted by antiabortion-rights groups to support restrictions on abortion coverage, is working on an amendment that would increase services to pregnant women "to help educate them on their choices." However, the amendment is not likely to go far enough to satisfy those who advocate for Stupak's language, Time reports.
The current debate "must feel familiar to Casey," whose father is former Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey (D), an abortion-rights opponent who often clashed with Democratic leadership and President Bill Clinton over abortion policies, Time reports (Newton-Small, Time, 11/24).
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