Advocacy Groups Increase Efforts To Oppose Abortion Coverage Restrictions in Senate Health Reform Bill

November 17, 2009 — Abortion-rights advocacy groups are ramping up advertising campaigns and lobbying efforts to prevent Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-Mich.) antiabortion amendment to the House health reform bill (HR 3962) from being included in the Senate's version of the legislation, CongressDaily reports. The amendment would prohibit insurers from offering abortion coverage to people who receive federal subsidies (Hunt, CongressDaily, 11/16).

The amendment has been "highly controversial," the Washington Post reports. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 61% of respondents say they support prohibiting abortion coverage for people who receive federal subsidies. However, the numbers flipped when respondents were asked if they supported abortion coverage for people who used private funds to pay for the coverage. When asked about a plan that segregates private and federal funding for abortion coverage, 56% said insurance offered to people using federal subsidies should be able to include such coverage (Balz/Cohen, Washington Post, 11/17).

The Center for Reproductive Rights on Monday launched a cable network ad that features comedian Cory Kahaney addressing an audience at a comedy club, the New York Times' "Prescriptions" blog reports. Kahaney tells the audience about two patients who are told their insurance policies will cover a breast reduction and a nose job, but a third patient, who is 11 weeks pregnant and has discovered that parts of the fetus' brain and skull are missing, is told her insurance will not cover an abortion. The audience is silent as the tagline for the ad says, "Don't let Congress ban abortion coverage millions of women already have" (Seeyle, "Prescriptions," New York Times, 11/17). The campaign also includes a corresponding Web site. Organizers from CRR say they are planning a social media campaign through Facebook and Twitter (CongressDaily, 11/16).

Meanwhile, a coalition of abortion-rights groups has planned a lobby day for Dec. 2 to urge lawmakers to oppose language restricting abortion coverage, Roll Call reports. The "National Day of Action" will include a rally at the Capitol and visits by advocates to lawmakers' offices. Tait Sye, a spokesperson for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said organizers are still working on the details of the event, such as which speakers may be invited.

About 20 progressive groups met last week to plan the event and devise a strategy to prevent the Stupak language from being included in the Senate's bill. The groups included the American Civil Liberties Union, Catholics for Choice, the Human Rights Campaign, MoveOn.org, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Service Employees International Union, among others, Roll Call reports. Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, said the coalition was motivated to speak out after Stupak's amendment was passed, adding, "We're not out there enough. We have to demonstrate this is huge."

In addition, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan delivered a petition with more than 97,000 signatures to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asking him to resist pressure to include the Stupak amendment. The petition was a joint effort between NARAL and People for the American Way, Roll Call reports. NARAL has also issued a Web campaign for donations to fund lobbying efforts against the Stupak amendment (Roth, Roll Call, 11/17).

Religious Groups Urge Senate To Leave Out Stupak Language

Several religious groups that support abortion rights have been speaking out against the Stupak amendment and lobbying the Senate, CQ HealthBeat reports. The Rev. Carlton Veazey, president and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, said the group is "troubled" that the House included the amendment, which was heavily lobbied by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. RCRC, which represents more than 40 religious organizations and denominations and includes about 20 million members, "respect[s] diverse religious beliefs and individual decisions about when to have children," Veazey said.

Linda Bales Todd of the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, which has about 11 million members, said the board "urges the U.S. Senate to act quickly to provide health coverage to all people" without the abortion restrictions. Sammie Moshenberg, director of Washington operations of the National Council of Jewish Women, said the House bill "enshrines one religious viewpoint on abortion into law and enlists the federal government to support it" (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 11/16).

Stupak Amendment Goes Beyond Current Law, Rep. DeGette Says

The Stupak amendment "goes much, much further" than current restrictions on federal funding for abortion services and coverage by saying that "nobody in the exchange or in the public option can purchase an insurance plan that covers a full range of reproductive services, even with their own money," Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said in an interview with NPR's "Tell Me More." DeGette said that she has 41 lawmakers' signatures on a letter saying they will oppose a final bill that includes Stupak's restrictions on abortion coverage. However, she added that a compromise can be reached that includes language similar to an amendment in the House Energy and Commerce Committee's bill. That amendment "preserved the separation of federal funds" for abortion coverage, and "if people think that we can improve on that, if we can make it more clear that we're not going to spend federal money for abortions, we're happy to work with them on that and we think we can," DeGette said (Martin, "Tell Me More," NPR, 11/13).

Head of Roman Catholic Bishops Defends Lobbying Efforts

During an annual gathering of church leaders on Monday, Cardinal Francis George, president of USCCB, defended the Catholic Church's role in lobbying for the Stupak amendment, saying it is the duty of church leaders to urge lawmakers to include such restrictions, Roll Call reports. "It is our responsibility ... to speak with a moral voice, that everyone should be cared for and that no one should be deliberately killed," he said (Murray, Roll Call, 11/16). He added that church leaders are obliged to ensure that "issues that are moral questions before they become political remain moral questions when they become political" (Zoll, AP/Baltimore Sun, 11/16).

George's remarks come as some liberal Catholic groups criticize USCCB's involvement in the debate, Roll Call reports (Murray, Roll Call, 11/16). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) allowed the vote on the Stupak amendment after USCCB said it would oppose the final bill if the restrictions were not included, the Chicago Tribune reports (Oliphant, Chicago Tribune, 11/16).

In related news, Politico on Tuesday examined the influence Catholic bishops have had in the debate over federal funding for abortion services in the last three decades, as well as their involvement in the current health reform debate (Rogers, Politico, 11/17).