Obama to issue order on abortion to win Democratic votes for healthcare legislation
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President Obama will issue an executive order that reaffirms the policy that federal funds will not be used for abortions, the White House announced on Sunday, a move designed to win over antiabortion Democrats for the healthcare overhaul vote.
Moments after the announcement, Rep. Bart Stupak, (D-Mich.) announced he would support the healthcare overhaul. Stupak was the leader of the antiabortion Democrats, about a dozen votes that Democratic leaders have courted in recent weeks.
The White House announcement had been expected; reports of the move had circulated in recent days. In a statement from Communications Director Dan Pfieffer, the White House argued that the healthcare bill was never designed to change the long-standing policy that restricts federal funds from being used for abortions.
“While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the healthcare legislation’s restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented,” Pfieffer stated.
-- Michael Muskal
