By Dave Andrusko

Part Two is an amazing story of a woman who sent out news of her miscarriage to her Twitter list. Part Three warns of a whole other set of dangers lurking in the health care "reform" measure passed in the House. Please send your comments on either Part One or Part Two or Part Three to daveandrusko@gmail.com. Happy Birthday to my wife, Lisa.

First, the unambiguous good news. Thanks to you--no one else, you--the House on Saturday adopted the NRLC-backed Stupak-Pitts Amendment to H.R. 3962.

Watching this unfold in real-time Saturday was a tremendously rewarding experience. It was also nerve-wracking (see below).

As NRL pointed out minutes after the final 240-194 vote,

Congressman Bart Stupak

The Stupak-Pitts Amendment removed two major pro-abortion components from H.R. 3962. Specifically: (1) the amendment would permanently prohibit the new federal government insurance program, the "public option," from paying for abortion, except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest; and (2) the amendment would permanently prohibit the use of the new federal premium subsidies ("affordability credits") to purchase private insurance plans that cover abortion (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest). The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.).

The importance of this victory cannot be overstated--nor can the steely determination of the pro-abortion side to eventually terminate the pro-life amendment so that the final health care "reform" measure is all that Planned Parenthood could ever want. There will be numerous opportunities yet to come to try to smuggle in the anti-life propositions, starting in whatever bill the Senate comes up with.

There were lots of stories about how hard pro-abortion congresswomen took passage of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment and how brilliantly pro-abortion to the hilt Speaker Nancy Pelosi supposedly steered the final measure through the legislative shoals. But the more important comments came from the likes of pro-abortion Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Col.) who said, "There's going to be a firestorm here," according to the Washington Post. "We're not going to let this into law."

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL, chipped in with her two cents worth. "She said that although the vote was 'extremely disappointing and outrageous,' the 'fight isn't over,' the Post reported. And, of course, it isn't.

Having said that, I must say that jumping back and forth between watching the debate on C-SPAN and listening to what the cable network talking-heads were saying was the ultimate teeter-totter experience. The scuttlebutt was that the amendment was going to pass, because a number of pro-life Democrats demanded it. But that didn't make the tension any the less excruciating.

Don't forget, Part Three is taken from NRLC's statement. It is a reminder than no pro-lifer can forget.

At the same time we are fighting to keep abortion out of any health care restructuring, we must never forget that NRLC "has very serious concerns about aspects of H.R. 3962 as they relate to involuntary denial of lifesaving medical treatment."

Please read all three Parts of Monday's edition of TN&V.

Part Two
Part Three