For those folks opposed to the health care bill, Bart Stupak may be your only hope of scuttling the bill.
http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=35065
Once again the bright light will fall on Cong. Bart Stupak (D-MI) who stood up against immense pressure last month to get his amendment passed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Inside Catholic) - Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), the last hope of pro-life forces, has caved in to Democratic Party and White House pressure to support the Senate Health Care Bill.
He indicated today he would support the bill based upon the "manager's amendment" containing the so-called "compromise" language on abortion funding negotiated by Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), the son of the legendary pro-life, Catholic governor of Pennsylvania, Bob Casey.
Casey's language, now approved by Nelson, makes federal funding for abortion the default position of health care reform. The Washington Post describes the compromise as follows:
"Under the new abortion provisions, states can opt out of allowing plans to cover abortion in insurance exchanges the bill would set up to serve individuals who don't have employer coverage. Plus, enrollees in plans that do cover abortion procedures would pay for the coverage with separate checks - one for abortion, one for the remainder of health-care services."
The notion of "segregated funds," of course, is nothing but an auditor's trick. Once dollars become part of a program they support the whole of the program, regardless in which column they are found. As Family Research Council's Tom McClusky said to LifeNews.com in response to the new compromise, "Reid's bill would force taxpayers to pay for abortions even if they opt out."
The fight over federal funding for abortion will now move back to the House where 62 Democrats voted for the Stupak-Pitts amendment -- it remains to be seen how many of those Democrats will follow in the footsteps of Sen. Ben Nelson.