[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 9, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H14376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     INSURANCE COVERAGE OF ABORTION

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, one of the more divisive issues in our 
health reform debate has unfortunately been how to treat insurance 
coverage of abortion. Everyone agrees our goal is to preserve the 
status quo. Yesterday our colleagues in the Senate did exactly that by 
tabling the Nelson amendment, modeled after the Stupak amendment, which 
would have severely restricted a woman's access to reproductive health 
care services.
  The status quo means no Federal funding for abortion other than in 
cases of rape, incest or life endangerment of the woman. The status quo 
means entities that receive Federal funds may use their own private 
funds for activities that are being prohibited from being paid for with 
Federal money. An example of this are the churches which receive 
millions of dollars in taxpayer funds every year to provide social 
services, but must segregate those funds from other funds used to 
engage in religious activity.
  Similarly, the amendment I passed in the Energy and Commerce 
Committee, along with the current Senate language, maintains the same 
principle without eroding a woman's legitimate access to a legal 
medical procedure.
  I urge my colleagues to reject inclusion of the harmful Stupak 
language in any final version of the health reform legislation. 
Maintain the Senate's language and the status quo.

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