Bay County Congressman Bart Stupak's Amendment Key to Health Bill Victory
Pro-life Democrat Comes Up With Last Minute Compromise That Wins Votes
November 8, 2009
By: Dave Rogers
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee
The Stupak Amendment!
The name of Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, whose district extends South 500 miles South into Bay County, may live in history because of his amendment that smoothed passage of the health care bill in the U.S. House on Saturday.
In a last minute move Rep. Stupak successfully introduced an amendment to ban federal funds for abortion.
He gathered a pro-life caucus of 40 members and threatened to kill the bill to force Speaker Nancy Pelosi to put the amendment to a vote.
The Stupak amendment raced through by a 240-192 vote with all Michigan Republicans and Flint Democrat Dale F. Kildee, whose district also covers part of Bay County, supporting.
That finally won over enough conservative Democrats to pass the main bill, 220-215.
The "Affordable Health Care for America" Act, backed by the AARP and the AMA, would extend coverage to 36 million more Americans, or 96 percent of the population.
The battle has just begun. Waves of pre-vote robo calls, reportedly with insurance lobby funding, and hysterical e-mail campaigns against reform swept the nation. No doubt such political barbs aimed at public opinion will continue during Senate talks.
Michigan's Rep. John Dingell, 83, a Dearborn Democrat, called the historic session into order using the same gavel that he used to hammer the Medicare bill in 1965.
Dingell introduced the bill, following in the footsteps of his father, U.S. Rep. John Dingell Sr., who introduced the first health care bill in Congress 66 years ago.
As the smoke cleared, Republicans declared the bill would bust the budget while Democrats said it would save the nation.
Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, called the bill a "gigantic gamble," warning "This bill will do lasting damage to our economy and force millions of Americans to give up their current health care coverage. With the national unemployment rate spiking to 10.2 percent yesterday, it should be unthinkable to pass this bill which contains more than $730 billion in new taxes that will destroy millions more American jobs."
Some pro-choice members called the Stupak Amendment "an insult to American women."
The opposing viewpoints, and the Stupak amendment will be hashed out in a conference committee after the Senate takes up the bill.
Abortion would not be covered under the public health insurance option in the bill that would also eliminate federal subsidies for health plans covering abortion.
Stupak's measure would bar insurance companies that cover abortion from the new government exchange. Women would have to separately buy supplemental abortion insurance.
Stupak said: "Passage of the Stupak amendment does not impose a new federal abortion policy; it simply continues what has been the law of the land since 1977, and I am pleased that with the addition of this amendment the House health care reform bill will continue that policy.
"...I thank Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi for allowing this important vote to occur and I appreciate the hard work and perseverance of my pro-life colleagues in Congress who held strong and stood with me over the past several months as we worked to find a way to allow this vote against all odds," Stupak added.
All of the state's seven Republicans voted for Stupak's amendment, as well as Rep. Kildee. Voting against the Stupak amendment were Democrats Dingell, Gary Peters, Bloomfield Hills; Mark Schauer, Battle Creek; Carolyn Kilpatrick of Detroit, John Conyers of Detroit, Sander Levin of Royal Oak.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) called Stupak's amendment "an insult to millions of American women," while Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said, "To say that this amendment is a wolf in sheep's clothing would be the understatement of a lifetime. If enacted this will be the greatest restriction on a woman's right to choose in our careers."
Despite Stupak's victory, opponents vowed to strip his amendment from the final bill in the conference committee.