Abortion fight still not over

The issue remains contentious as Congress moves toward reconciliation on the health care bill.

The fight over abortion funding in the health care overhaul is still on.

As the House and Senate move to reconcile their versions of the bill, a dispute over how much it would limit funding of abortion services is causing both sides heartburn, Seth Stern reports.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said that between 10 and 12 anti-abortion House Democrats would vote against the merged bill if it contains the Senate's language.

But Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said a potentially even larger pool of House Democrats would vote against a bill with tougher restrictions.

"We do really want to have a bill, but we really are not going to compromise on something that goes beyond current law," she said.

The Senate bill (HR 3950) requires insurers in a new federal exchange who cover abortion to pay for them with premiums from individuals and not federal subsidies, forcing women to write two separate checks for their monthly insurance.

The House bill (HR 3962) would prohibit insurers in the exchange from covering abortion except in the case of rape, incest or life endangerment.

-- Ryan Teague Beckwith, Congress.org

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