The health care bill in Congress
received its first favorable vote in a chamber of Congress Saturday
night, November 7. Passage of the legislation came after lawmakers voted
for the prolife Stupak Amendment to remove abortion funding from the
legislation. The U.S. House approved the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, 240-194.
The Stupak-Pitts Amendment
removed two major pro-abortion components from H.R. 3962. Specifically:
(1) the amendment would permanently prohibit the new federal government
insurance program, the "public option," from paying for abortion, except
to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest; and (2)
the amendment would permanently prohibit the use of the new federal
premium subsidies ("affordability credits") to purchase private insurance
plans that cover abortion (except to save the life of the mother, or
in cases of rape or incest). The amendment was sponsored by prolife
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA).
This is how the Michigan House delegation voted on the Stupak Amendment:
-
U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak (D)
- voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra
(R) - voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R)
- voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R) -
voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee (D)
- voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R)
- voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer (D)
- voted for federal funding of abortion
-
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R)
- voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D)
- voted for federal funding of abortion
-
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller
(R) - voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter
(R) - voted prolife by supporting the Stupak Amendment
-
U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D)
- voted for federal funding of abortion
-
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick
(D) - voted for federal funding of abortion
-
U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D)
- voted for federal funding of abortion
-
U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D)
- voted for federal funding of abortion
If your representative voted
for the Stupak Amendment, please express your appreciation. And if your
representative voted for federal funding of abortion please express
your disappointment. Abortion is inherently different from other medical
procedures because no other procedure involves the intentional taking
of human life. Abortion coverage has no place in health care reform
legislation.
Congressional
Contact Information
This is a great victory, but much more work needs to be done as the
U.S. Senate continues work on their version(s) which includes abortion
funding and rationing concerns. Eventually, the U.S. House and U.S.
Senate versions will be handled in a conference committee. We've won
a first step battle and prevented the initial expansion of abortion
and abortion funding that Planned Parenthood, NARAL and other proabortion
groups demanded.
The debate on abortion funding now moves to the U.S. Senate. Right to
Life of Michigan will continue to keep you posted on developments.