House Passes Obama-Backed Health Bill, 219-212

House passes Obama-backed health bill, 219-212

WASHINGTON -- UPDATED SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 11:20 PM EDT -- The U.S. House of Representatives late today gave final approval to a massive health care restructuring bill strongly opposed by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), H.R. 3590.

The House vote was 219 to 212 in favor of the bill. All 219 votes in favor were cast by Democrats. Of the opposing (pro-life) votes, 178 were cast by Republicans and 34 by Democrats. The official roll call can be viewed here.

Because the Senate already approved the bill on December 24, 2009, it will now go straight to President Obama for his signature.

A March 19 letter to the House National Right to Life, posted here, said regarding this bill: "The bill is riddled with provisions that predictably will result in federal subsidies for private insurance plans that cover abortion (some of which will be administered directly by the federal government), direct federal funding of abortion through Community Health Centers, and pro-abortion federal administrative mandates."

Earlier on March 21, a small group of House Democrats, led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mi.), who had withheld support from the bill because it lacked pro-life protections, agreed to vote for it after the White House released the text of an executive order that President Obama will issue after the bill is enacted. NRLC responded to this development with a statement that read in part, "The National Right to Life Committee remains strongly opposed to the Senate-passed health bill (H.R. 3590). A lawmaker who votes for this bill is voting to require federal agencies to subsidize and administer health plans that will pay for elective abortion, and voting to undermine longstanding pro-life policies in other ways as well. Pro-life citizens nationwide know that this is a pro-abortion bill. Pro-life citizens know, and they will be reminded again and again, which lawmakers deserve their gratitude for voting against this pro-abortion legislation. The executive order promised by President Obama was issued for political effect. It changes nothing. It does not correct any of the serious pro-abortion provisions in the bill. The president cannot amend a bill by issuing an order, and the federal courts will enforce what the law says." To read the complete NRLC statement, click here.

To view the NRLC scorecard showing how your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives has voted on key pro-life issues during the current Congress, click here. To view the NRLC scorecard for the U.S. Senate for the current Congress, click here. To look up the entire voting record of any current member of Congress on NRLC-scored issues, click here, then enter the name of the lawmaker. Once you reach the lawmaker's profile, chose the "Votes" tab. For lawmakers who have served for more than a few years, scroll to the bottom of the list of displayed votes and click "More Key Votes" to see his or her entire record back to 1997.

* National Right to Life needs your help now more than ever. Please click here to donate to support NRL's efforts to keep abortion out of health care legislation.

* News media: For further information on this issue, contact NRLC at 202-626-8820 or 202-626-8825.

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