House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (DCalif.) on Wednesday held a private meeting with antiabortionrights Democratic Reps. Mike Doyle (Pa.) and Tim Ryan (Ohio) in an attempt to quell pressure to exclude abortion coverage from the House health reform bill (HR 3200), Roll Call reports. Joined by abortionrights supporter Rep. Diana DeGette (DColo.) Pelosis “point person” on the Energy and Commerce Committee Pelosi attempted to broker areas of agreement on the issue, according to Roll Call. However, antiabortionrights Democrats contend that, beyond Wednesdays meeting, Pelosi has not responded to their concerns by making changes to the House bill (Bendery, Roll Call, 7/22).

The House bill does not mention abortion, but antiabortionrights critics of the measure say it could increase availability of the procedure by requiring health insurance plans to cover services and by providing government funding for subsidized plans, according to the Washington Post. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week that decisions on specific benefits like abortion services should be “left to medical experts in the field,” such as a proposed advisory board that would make recommendations on minimum benefits that private insurers must offer. Ryan and a group of centrist Democrats have proposed an amendment that would neither require nor prohibit insurers from covering abortion services, as long as federal funding is not used. Their proposal also says that current state restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion services would remain in effect (Eggen/Stein, Washington Post, 7/23). Currently, private insurers are neither required nor forbidden to cover abortion services. The Hyde Amendment and other federal measures prohibit the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except in very limited cases. Some states use their own money to cover the procedure for lowincome women (Stein, Washington Post, 7/23).

Rep. Bart Stupak (DMich), cochair of the ProLife Caucus, said abortionrights supporters in the House “can continue to ignore us if they want, but at their peril.” He added that the bill should maintain current restrictions on federal funding for abortion. Stupak was among a group of Democrats who sent a letter to Pelosi in June threatening to oppose any health reform bill that does not explicitly forbid federal funding from being used for abortion services (Roll Call, 7/22).

The Post reports that the health care reform debate has “reignited” claims from antiabortionrights groups that President Obamas efforts to find common ground on abortionrelated policies are an attempt “to paper over … support for abortion rights with policies that will do little” to reduce the number of abortions.” Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said that Obama “says he wants to reduce abortions” but that “the actual policies that this administration is promoting will result in massive public subsidies for abortion and result in a massive increase in the number of abortions.” Abortionrights opponents plan to hold a rally Thursday against the House health reform bill, and Americans United for Life has demanded a meeting with the president to discuss the issue of abortion coverage in health reform.

Abortionrights groups and Democratic leaders say opponents allegations are exaggerated and an attempt to use the health reform debate to further restrict access to legal abortion services under private insurance plans. Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL ProChoice America, said, “This is the kind of divisiveness that the public has grown very tired of.”

The debate over covering abortion services comes as Ryan and abortionrights supporter Rep. Rosa DeLauro (DConn.) prepare to introduce a bill that aims to reduce the need for abortion by encouraging pregnancy prevention and increasing government support for young women with children. The bill has generated “an unusual array of supporters” including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL ProChoice America and evangelical leaders like Rev. Joel Hunter of Orlando because its cosponsors represent each side of the abortionrights debate, the Post reports (Eggen/Stein, Washington Post, 7/23).

Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Womens Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Womens Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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