Democrats rejected legislation that would have banned federal support for abortions in their nationalized health care bill. That means the democratic health care legislation will result in the biggest expansion of taxpayer-funding of abortions since Roe v. Wade.
The Hill reported:
Senators voted Tuesday afternoon to set aside a healthcare amendment that would have curbed federal support for abortion coverage.
Senators voted to table a measure from Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Pa.) that would have banned the government from offering insurance plans in a national healthcare exchange that cover abortion.
The amendment, which needed 60 votes to pass and was not expected to be adopted, was tabled in a 54-45 vote.
The provision, which mirrored restrictions in the House’s healthcare bill authored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Neb.), had been offered in part to win over Nelson, who’d previously warned he’d join a filibuster of the healthcare bill if it didn’t contain sufficient protections against federal support for abortion.
Democrats lost seven of their own members on the measure — Sens. Byron Dorgan (N.D.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Evan Bayh (Ind.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Ted Kaufmann (Del.), Robert Casey (Pa.), and Mark Pryor (Ark.) — while two Maine’s two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, supported the tabling.
The tabling represents a victory for abortion-rights supporters who had worried that the amendment’s restrictions on abortion funding would go beyond what had previously been established by the Hyde amendment.
More… The National Right to Life Movement urged the defeat of the democrat’s health care boondoggle after the vote today.
UPDATE: Of course, Claire McCaskill said she wouldn’t vote for a bill that funded abortion… But today she voted with dems against the Nelson legislation.
December 8th, 2009 | 6:52 pm | #1
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Right and DNC Fail!, Paul Alyunov. Paul Alyunov said: Dems Reject Abortion Ban Legislation In Nationalized Health Care Bill: Democrats rejected legislation that woul.. http://bit.ly/6ef5d7 [...]
December 8th, 2009 | 6:54 pm | #2
What they are doing is illegal, and unconstitutional.
The Hyde Amendment is law. If they don’t like it, they need to repeal the Hyde Amendment. Simply ignoring it and pretending it doesn’t exist is illegal and unconstitutional.
December 8th, 2009 | 6:54 pm | #3
Do Muslims support abortions?
December 8th, 2009 | 6:58 pm | #4
Claire Mc will rot in hell.
December 8th, 2009 | 7:08 pm | #5
Does that mean if this unconstitutional legislation passes the House and Senate, Obama won’t sign it? After all, he promised “his” bill would not fund abortions. Of course, Obama is totally trustworthy with his promises [major sarcasm]
December 8th, 2009 | 7:12 pm | #6
Social comments and analytics for this post…
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December 8th, 2009 | 7:22 pm | #7
Not unlike my Rep Richie Rick Boucher. Voted against the house medical care scam but also voted against every amendment to change it. The bad part is the ads they ran for days bragging about his no vote and never mentioning his support for it by voting against any amendment. Suckers,aka democrats, all over the area bought into the scam as always.
December 8th, 2009 | 7:25 pm | #8
#3, they don’t believe in abortions because they don’t have to. If a sister/daughter, or for a fact any woman gets pg out of wedlock they simply stone them to death. No abortion required.
December 8th, 2009 | 7:34 pm | #9
Warning to Senators: Kill the Healthcare Bill or the Healthcare Bill will kill you electorally. No to taxpayer funded mass murder of the unborn. No to healthcare rationing for the old. No to Socialism in medicine.
December 8th, 2009 | 7:36 pm | #10
What the Dems SAY, to win over fence-sitting senators and representatives, and what they actually intend to do (and ultimately DO) are two entirely different things.
The bill that winds up on O Bombers desk for signing WILL very definitely allow for federal funds to kill unborn children…It’s the Democrat’s way!
December 8th, 2009 | 7:42 pm | #11
This should be easy to solve. Even Obama says (supposedly) that he agrees with the Hyde amendment. But the far left wants this to be a subsidized right…and that is the issue. We will now see if Moderate Dems like Nelson were honest about their pro-life stance, or simply pandering.
http://neoavatara.com/blog/?p=8916
December 8th, 2009 | 7:46 pm | #12
Two points:
1) Killing Nelson-Hatch kills the bill in the Senate, since it will mean that Reid has now lost both Lieberman and Nelson, with Snowe showing no signs of considering a defection. That means Reid will not have the votes to invoke cloture.
Buh-bye, ObamaCare.
2) Psst, Claire the Lib: we’re watching. We remember. You will not enjoy 2012. Better make the most of your last 3 years as a US Senator.
December 8th, 2009 | 7:47 pm | #13
I can’t help wondering why the Dems do not give a damn about what the public thinks. It’s as if they’re not expecting to have to pay at the polls.
We must have had our last free election.
December 8th, 2009 | 7:53 pm | #14
ACORN/SEIU….Soros bought every Sec. of State.
As he stated “it is not the votes, it is who counts them”
Plus o is handing out big jobs to all that will lose their seats….it is win win for the communists
December 8th, 2009 | 7:55 pm | #15
#13, yes, the Dems are planning on there being no polls, or that they will have control of them.
December 8th, 2009 | 7:59 pm | #16
enoxo
December 8th, 2009 | 6:54 pm | #2
What they are doing is illegal, and unconstitutional.
The Hyde Amendment is law. If they don’t like it, they need to repeal the Hyde Amendment. Simply ignoring it and pretending it doesn’t exist is illegal and unconstitutional.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If I’m not mistaken, the Hyde Amdmt. has to be reauthorized every year.
All they have to do is not schedule it for a reauthorization vote until it’s too late.
Then, it lapses and there are NO restrictions on government-paid abortions.
No one even has to vote against the Hyde reauthorization. It just “goes away”.
December 8th, 2009 | 8:20 pm | #17
Good! I am pro-life, but am pragmatic enough to agree with a woman caller on Rush’s program today who suggested that unlike the Stupak Amendment in the House, this may be the nail in the coffin insofar as moderate Dems are concerned.
One can only hope…pray..(is that still allowed?)
December 8th, 2009 | 8:57 pm | #18
edit should read “much like” the Stupak Amendment
December 8th, 2009 | 9:56 pm | #19
“with Snowe showing no signs of considering a defection.”
She voted to let this amendment be tabled. She and her Maine colleague cannot be trusted.
December 8th, 2009 | 9:57 pm | #20
Psst, Claire the Lib: we’re watching. We remember. You will not enjoy 2012. Better make the most of your last 3 years as a US Senator.
Music to my ears.
December 8th, 2009 | 10:01 pm | #21
This manufactured “crisis” is just another example of the D.C. shell game, only now endangering us all with a true catastrophe.
Deficit spending has always been a problem. Multiplying it under the guise of “crisis” is criminal dereliction of duty.
December 8th, 2009 | 11:08 pm | #22
DO NOT TRUST a single thing the Dems do. This not a government, but a criminal enterprise.
December 9th, 2009 | 12:59 am | #23
I heard tonight that the Dems would accept a bill without a Public Option. If this goes into reconciliation with The House voting yes on the Public Option then the Senate could add it back in before the final vote. Reid is excited but would give no details.
December 9th, 2009 | 1:14 am | #24
That would be conference, not reconciliation.
Whatever comes out of the conference, both chambers have to vote the Conference Report up-or-down, without further amendment, or the process starts over again.
Thus, if the Public Option is left in the Conference Report, it won’t pass the Senate, and if abortion funding is left in the Conference Report, it won’t pass the House.
Likewise, if the Public Option is removed from the Conference Report, it won’t pass the House, and if abortion funding is removed from the Conference Report, it won’t pass the Senate.
The Democrats can’t control their own caucus enough to pass a bill through both chambers.
December 9th, 2009 | 3:30 am | #25
Liar Obama said that the health care takeover will not fund abortions, but everyone knew he was lying.
December 9th, 2009 | 6:14 am | #26
And here is what the Republican Party should not elect Liberal Republicans and think hard about electing Moderates ones also:
“while two Maine’s two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, supported the tabling.”
For those who do not know Dough Hoffman has chose to run for the Senate seat in NY-23.
December 9th, 2009 | 7:22 am | #27
[...] Dems Reject Legislation That Would Ban Abortion Funding In Nationalized Health Care Bill [...]
December 9th, 2009 | 8:25 am | #28
@Tom- I wish Doug Hoffman was a stronger candidate. He comes across as a Casper Milquetoast type, and without Sarah Palin’s endorsement, no one would know who the heck he is!
December 9th, 2009 | 1:32 pm | #29
Maybe this is her way of ensuring that the bill will not pass. Since she said that she would not support a bill without the abortion language, she (of course) made sure that such language would not be in the bill.
December 9th, 2009 | 6:20 pm | #30
++
Abortion in Health Care Update
==
December 10th, 2009 | 2:02 am | #31
[...] Gateway Pundit reports that Senate Democrats have just blocked an amendment to block funding of abortions with taxpayer money. [...]
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