Healthcare vote will have consequences

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has made it clear she plans to use every legislative maneuver necessary to get the healthcare legislation through Congress.
 
One of the groups that is under the most intense pressure from party leaders are pro-life Democrats.  While many of these pro-life members support healthcare reform, they have fought to keep abortion out of the final bill.
 
Led by Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan these Democrats have tried to uphold current law on federal funding of abortion, which has been in place for more than 20 years.  The long-standing Hyde Amendment ensures that you, the American taxpayer, do not have to pay for someone else’s abortion.
 
Recently there have been indications that some members of this pro-life coalition may be crumbling under the relentless pressure. Last week, Rep. Stupak expressed his concern in these terms:  “It’s almost like some right-to-life members don’t want to be bothered. They just want this over.”  While we applaud the resolve of many pro-life Democrat members, such as Rep. Stupak, who have stood firm under immense pressure, it is disturbing to hear that others might give up the fight at the very end when it matters most.
 
During our Women Speak Out tour across the Midwest and South in January, we found strong opposition to abortion funding from the constituents in all of the 19 congressional districts we visited.  From Indiana to Arkansas, average Americans came out in huge numbers to voice a common belief:  Abortion is NOT Health Care.
 
To more scientifically gauge the opinions of constituents of pro-life Democrats, we commissioned a series of polls by the polling companyTM, inc./WomanTrend in 19 districts across the country.  The survey asked a series of questions aimed at determining voter’s views on federal funding of abortion and how their member’s votes on abortion funding in health care will affect their own votes in November.
 
The results were overwhelming and confirmed what we experienced on the ground.
 
In virtually every district, at least two-thirds of voters opposed “using tax dollars to pay for abortions,” and in most districts, 70% or more were against it.  Voters agree with intensity that “abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation.”
 
The final question of the poll asked respondents whether they would be more or less likely to support their representative who “votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion.”  In each district, polling showed that a vote for the current version of the healthcare bill would be a huge liability on Election Day. Voters are far less likely to re-elect their incumbent if they vote for this bill.
 
The elongated and complex process of deliberation on this health care bill challenges the principles and stamina of every member of Congress. None face a harder task than the pro-life Democrats, especially those that fundamentally support health care reform. For them, the White House and Democratic leaders have removed all middle ground. In its current form, a vote for health care is a vote for federally funded abortion and against Life.
 
Despite abortion proponent’s efforts to blur the lines, the language that all Members will be asked to vote on is the largest expansion of government backed abortion since Roe v. Wade. The Senate had the opportunity to adopt Stupak language that was permanent, and they declined. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) confided to the abortion lobby and McClatchy News last November, there was no need to worry about the Senate bill because the abortion measure was “only an ‘accounting procedure’ that would do nothing to restrict coverage.”
 
We encourage all pro-life Democrats to stand firm in this final push and protect the Hyde Amendment and keep abortion out of healthcare.
 
It is what their constituents strongly want and what principle demands. To do otherwise would be the ultimate betrayal of obligation and conscience.
 
Marjorie Dannenfelser is President of the Susan B. Anthony List, a nationwide network of over 280,000 pro-life Americans dedicated to advancing, mobilizing and representing pro-life women in the political process.