The White House and Democratic leadership talk about wanting to have a bi-partisan healthcare reform bill. But if that’s the case, why would they decide to dig in against the one element of the bill (abortion) that actually has bi-partisan support? The question I ask is clearly rhetorical because we all know the answer.
The Pro-Life Stupak Pitts amendment in the House bill is the ONLY bi-partisan agreement in the entire bill. 64 Democrats joined with nearly all Republicans to vote for it. The problem is Stupak-Pitts would go down as one of the biggest pro-life achievements in decades and liberals in the House just can not live with that. Period end. If they would allow Stupak and his pro-life Democratic friends to have their way, they would have their healthcare bill. Instead, pro-choice liberals have chosen to defend abortion over healthcare for tens of millions of Americans. (You can say the same of Stupak on the other side of this debate)
Don’t get me wrong. I understand why liberals are fighting against Stupak-Pitts. It makes sense from a pro-choice standpoint. But if you’re a liberal it’s hard to make the argument that Stupak is going to let healthcare die over the abortion issue when pro-choice liberals are willing to do the same.
Unless Nancy Pelosi and company can turn some no’s to yes’s in a hurry, abortion politics may indeed be the end of the road for a healthcare reform debate that has dragged on for what seems like a lifetime.