Will abortion be included in any sort of government run health care option? Peo-life groups are watching and reading the language of these bills coming out of committee. Don't expect words in the bill that make abortion funding clear. It may be tricky and pro-life groups are on the lookout to catch it.
Look,President Obama is liberal and liberals believe abortions should be part of reproductive care but if the President really wants to build some good will with those across the aisle from him on the abortion issue, maybe he should take a stand and say no on government paid for abortions in health care. He could build a little "street cred". He would take a major hit from pro-choice groups and representatives at Planned Parenthood would need smelling salts to revive them but hey, just a thought.
More here and here on the abortion and health care issue. Read below from the Wall Street Journal.
An anti-abortion Democrat on Monday said he is negotiating a compromise aimed at resolving concerns that House health-care legislation would allow federal funding of abortions.
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said he is in talks with Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on the language. Stupak said his and Waxman's staff discussed the issue over the weekend and suggested that a compromise could be voted on this week as an amendment to a health-care bill under consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Stupak represents an important vote on the health-care measure, which already faces possible opposition from conservative Democrats on the panel who are concerned about its costs. His comments suggested an easing of tensions among anti-abortion Democrats and proponents of the health-care measure.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce panel on Tuesday afternoon.
Stupak indicated that the compromise language would affect the treatment of state abortion laws under the bill. He offered few other details on the specific compromise language, but said the two sides are "working in good faith" and urged other members of the committee not to push their own abortion-related amendments.
"I hope we're not going to use reproductive rights as a red herring in every amendment that comes up," Stupak said.
A group of 20 House Democrats signed a letter sent last Friday to House Democratic leaders stating they "cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan."