Rep. Capuano backs off support for abortion-restricting healthcare bill

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U.S. Rep. Michael E. Capuano, in a significant departure from his forceful arguments a day earlier, said today that he would vote against a final health care bill if it includes a provision restricting federal funding for abortion.

Capuano, who voted for the bill in the House on Saturday, had blasted Senate race rival Martha Coakley on Monday for saying that the abortion provision was so unpalatable it was worth sinking the overall package.

But today the Somerville Democrat said that his vote Saturday was merely to advance the legislation so it could be amended later, not an indication of his final political judgment.

“If the bill comes back the same way as it left the House, I would vote against it,” Capuano said in an interview. “I am a pro-choice person, and I do believe this is [necessary] to provide health care for everyone.”

It is a startling reversal given the language Capuano used Monday to hammer Coakley for saying she opposed the bill over the abortion restrictions, whose inclusion was the product of a deal liberal House members made to win narrow passage of the overall package. He went so far as to call Coakley's comments "manna from heaven" for his campaign, blasting her for not knowing how Washington worked, and for being willing to torpedo a major health care overhaul over this one provision.