The Genie and the Bottle
The genie is out of the bottle.
And the challenge now facing Congressional Democratic leaders is how to put the genie back in the bottle.
In this case, the genie is abortion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) did the unthinkable two weeks ago. The powerful Speaker faced defeat on the health care reform bill. And despite being an unwavering abortion rights supporter, pro-life Democrats forced Pelosi to accede to their demands and allow the adoption of a wide-ranging anti-abortion amendment. Just to salvage the health care bill from parliamentary purgatory.
Pelosi’s maneuver stunned pro-choice advocacy groups. And it infuriated abortion rights voices in her caucus, most notably Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and her trusted Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY). They may not have liked Pelosi’s ploy. But they know down deep it was necessary to pass the health legislation.
So as the health bill moves to the Senate, the abortion genie is out of the bottle. That means Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) now carries two titles: Senate Majority Leader. And he’s also tasked with being the “Genie-Back-In-the-Bottle-Stuffer-In-Chief.”
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) drafted the House’s anti-abortion amendment. Stupak’s plan prohibits federally-backed health insurance programs from covering elective abortions and bans the use of federal subsidies to pay for abortions.
Reid didn’t allow the Stupak amendment to become part of his legislation. Instead, the Senate package allows government-run health plans to offer abortions so long as no taxpayer dollars are used to pay for them. The Senate measure also requires women who receive federal subsidies to purchase health coverage to pay for abortions with their own money.
“I think they handle (the abortion issue) much better over there,” said Louise Slaughter of Reid’s decision to leave the Stupak amendment out of the health bill.
“I’m pleased with the language that is in the Senate bill. And I think it is pretty clear that no federal funds will be spent on abortion,” said Pelosi. “The conversations continue and I am optimistic that we will find a common ground.”
But the abortion genie is out of the bottle. And Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) demonstrates why it’s so hard to tuck it back in.
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