- Amendment precludes use of federal dollars for elective abortion coverage
- Bishops want Stupak-style House amendment included in Senate bill
- Oppose making people pay for other people’s abortions
WASHINGTON—The U.S. bishops have voiced support for the Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment to the Senate health reform bill and have asked voters to back it.-ConcordPastor
The bishops took the position in a Dec. 7 letter to all U.S. senators, after Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Robert Casey (D-PA) proposed an amendment to prevent the health reform bill from using federal funds to pay for health plans that include elective abortions. The ban would be similar to the Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976, to ban federal funds in the Health and Human Services’ appropriations bill from paying for coverage that includes most abortions....
(Read the complete press release and the full text of the Bishops' letter to US Senators here.)
Sadly, the amendment was defeated 54 to 45. It will remain to be seen whether Nelson, Casey, Pryor, and other "Pro-Life" democrats will stick to their convictions and not vote for the final bill. I'm not holding my breath. It may be up to Stupak in the House to hold the line. I'm not holding my breath there either. Let's hope that the US Bishops don't wimp out. This is a horrible bill, regardless of the abortion issue.
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