Stupak
'Remains
Optimistic' He Can Work Out Abortion-Funding Language to Save
Health Care Bill
Rep. Bart Stupak, a pro-life Democrat from Michigan, “remains
optimistic” that he can work out language with House Democratic leaders
on federal funding of abortion, the main sticking point in getting a
health care bill to President Obama’s desk.
Stupak said on Tuesday he had “meaningful discussions” with two leading
House Democrats -- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep.
Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) -- and more are planned for later in the week.
But Stupak’s press secretary Michelle Begnoche told CNSNews.com that no
deal has been reached. “Congressman Stupak has not reached an agreement
on abortion funding in the health care legislation,” she said.
Stupak and 11 other House Democrats oppose the current, Senate-passed
version of health care reform because they say it allows federal
funding of abortion. Stupak has promised, along with 11 other pro-life
Democrats, to vote against the bill if Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
brings it to the floor for a vote.
In an interview with Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, Stupak said
he would stick to the principle that no taxpayer funds should be used
to pay for abortion.
“There’s at least twelve Democrats who have said that they could not
vote for health care unless we get to keep the current law, which says
no public funding for abortion,” Stupak said, referring to the
longstanding Hyde Amendment. “Most Americans agree with that,” he said.
“All the polling I have seen -- 60 percent, 61 percent -- have said,
‘We do not want our taxpayer dollars going to fund abortion.’
“I want to see health care pass, Stupak added, but there are some
principles worth fighting for. This is one of them.”
Again on Wednesday, Stupak committed himself to having discussions with
House leaders in an attempt to resolve the issue. “But the bottom line
is, there has to be no public funding for abortion. That’s been the law
for 33 years. The president indicates he doesn’t want to change current
law. Let’s just put current law in the (health care) bill and move
forward and work on health care, which we should be working on,” he
told Fox & Friends.
At his weekly press briefing Tuesday, Rep. Hoyer told reporters that
while he has talked with Stupak, they had not discussed anything “of
substance.” “I have had no negotiations with Mr. Stupak,” Hoyer
said.
“Now, I could lie to all of you and say, ‘Oh no, I haven’t talked to
him, I don’t know anything about this.’ If I said that, you wouldn’t,
hopefully, believe me.”
Hoyer said Stupak approached him on the floor of the House, wanting to
talk about the abortion issue. “I said ‘OK.’ We have not yet talked –
about substance,” Hoyer said. “We have talked about his meeting with me
and we will talk – he wants to talk to me.”
Stupak’s office confirmed Hoyer’s account: “Congressman Stupak expects
further meetings this week and remains optimistic that language can be
worked out,” his office told CNSNews.com.
Stupak told Fox & Friends on Wednesday he’s been having “good,
positive discussions” with Rep. Waxman: “He’s sort of the person who
they’ve indicated I should work with because the main health care bill
came through the Energy and Commerce Committee.” Stupak sits on that
committee, which Waxman chairs.
Stupak’s willingness to meet with House leaders – and his optimism over
a deal – comes after he told the Wall Street Journal there was no way
he would support the current version of health care reform.
“Nope,” Stupak told the Journal when asked if there was any way he
could vote for the current package. “It’d be very hard to vote for this
bill even if they fixed the abortion language.”
Contact: Matt Cover
Source:
CNSNews.com
Publish
Date:
March 10, 2010
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The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in
Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state
coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of
Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our
society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political
persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has
been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the
human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that
every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is
dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection
for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL.
