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McCook Gazette

Nelson speaks on abortion language in health care bill

Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sen. Ben Nelson's office

WASHINGTON -- Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson, just after the Senate approved health care reform today, delivered the following speech on the Senate floor concerning abortion provisions in the House and Senate bills:

"During consideration of the health care bill, one of my primary concerns has been ensuring that the long standing Hyde amendment would be incorporated into the bill. I have strongly held views on the subject and I have fought hard to prevent tax dollars from being used to subsidize abortions.

"I was pleased that the House included strong abortion provisions in its health care bill in the form of the Stupak amendment. I modified this language to meet the Senate bill and offered the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment to prohibit federal funding of abortion. I was disappointed to see that amendment tabled by a vote of 54-45.

"I knew that the underlying bill did not adequately prohibit federal funding of abortion and consequently I would not be able to support it. So, I began to look for other language to accomplish the goal that no public funds should cover abortion in the new health care bill.

"After long days of negotiations, I believe we came up with a true compromise that stays faithful to my principles.

"I want to be clear: I stuck to my guns and stood for my pro-life principles. I didn't look for weaker language. I looked for clearer language. My goal stayed the same: to maintain the standard we've had in federal law since the mid-1970s.

"While I respect the Senator from Kansas's opinion, I have to respectfully disagree. The Senate language fully upholds the Hyde principle like the language in the House bill.

"Under the health care bill, if you cannot afford insurance, you will receive federal assistance to help pay for a private health care plan. The Stupak language prohibits that federal assistance from paying for insurance that covers abortions. If you'd like a plan that covers abortion, you must purchase a "rider" to your plan with your own funds. You could do that by writing just one check to the insurer. For that, you'd get a separate piece of paper addressing abortion.

"The Senate language, with my added compromise, also prohibits federal funds from paying for private insurance that covers abortion. The only difference is that in the Senate bill, if you are receiving federal assistance to buy insurance, and if that plan has any abortion coverage, the insurance company must bill you separately and you must pay separately from your own personal funds, perhaps a credit card transaction or a personal check or automatic withdrawal from your bank account.

"Now, let me say that again: You have to write two checks: one for the basic policy and one for the additional coverage for abortion. The latter has to be entirely from personal funds.

"So, under both the Stupak and the new Senate language, no federal funds can be used to pay for a plan that covers abortion, and if you choose to purchase abortion coverage, you must pay out of your own pocket.

"Furthermore, the Senate language allows states the right to ban public and private insurance from supplying abortion coverage. Already, 12 states ban abortion coverage on public plans and five states ban abortion on both private and public plans.

"In short, the Senate bill ensures no federal funds would be used for abortion.

"I'd like to note that the Senate bill goes beyond Stupak in two life-promoting ways. It adds funding to support pregnant and parenting teens and women. And it expands the adoption tax credit to help adoptive parents with the considerable expense of adoption.

"The Senate bill also contains the same strong Conscience Protections included in the Stupak language.

We tried winning approval for the Nelson-Hatch-Casey abortion language in the Senate. We were unsuccessful but we did not give up. I know people have very strong feelings about the issue of abortion and I respect those who disagree with my position. But I could not support health reform that did not maintain the 30-year standard barring public funding of abortion.

"I did not compromise my pro-life principles. We just found different wording, different language that will work. I believe people will see that no public funding will go to abortion.

"Now in addition, my provision empowers states to pass laws banning the sale of insurance that covers abortion. We make it clear that this new law, this new bill does not in any way preempt the rights the states to be able to continue to make that ban in the -- and the decisions that they might make legislatively and we wanted to make certain that there is no doubt but what this bill has no preemption of the states' rights.

"Despite what some partisans and talk show hosts say in their scare tactics, the conscience clause remains. Also, despite what those same people, and even some of my colleagues say, the bottom line is that the Senate health care bill will not allow taxpayer money to pay for abortion. Period."

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  • He is going to catch a lot of grief. Around the country he is now regarded as a Man who talked integrity for 4 days then sold out for money.

    That perception is going to be his reality.

    I hope Obama is worth it to him. The 2010 elections will tell us what the country believes.

    P.S. Different wording still means babies are aborted every minute of everyday in this country.

    -- Posted by wallismarsh on Thu, Dec 24, 2009, at 4:08 PM

  • I don't care if my tax dollars go to abortion, it certainly would be money better spent than a lot of the other cow pies they vote for and approve. Benny Nelly has know idea what he is doing and talking about but the dummies will build a statue to honor someone that is amorale, dishonest and a extortionist.

    -- Posted by geewhiz on Thu, Dec 24, 2009, at 5:56 PM

  • Ben has talked about being a maverick and a conservative and so many fell for it. He simply sold out he sold Nebraskans out and toed the party line. People voted for him thinking he was a conservative and all he turned out to be is a Liberal demorat. This bill will have long reaching consequenses for Nebraska and our chuldrena dn grandchildren long after Ben has left the building.

    What really bothers me is I tried and tried to get through to his office to voice my concerns. ALl I got was a message that" voicemail is full goodbye". Ben did not care what we thought and never wanted to hear our opinions otherwise he would have slowed the legislation down and delayed the vote till after Christmas. After all it won't start, except for the tax increases they start right away, till 2014. What was the hurry? It's simple with 67% of Nebraskans oppposed to this monstrosity he didn't want to have to take the heat. I hope you got a cushy ambasadorship out of this Ben I think you will need it.

    -- Posted by Chaco1 on Thu, Dec 24, 2009, at 6:22 PM

  • Ben did not care one bit about Nebraskans. I tried for weeks to call him and all I got was a "mailbox is full goodbye" recoding. He did not want to hear from the 67% of Nebrsakans that are against this bill. What ben was concerned with was toeing the party line and his own largesse.

    He sure fooled all you folks who voted for him thinking he was a maverick and a conservative. in the end he is just another Lberal Democrat.

    -- Posted by Chaco1 on Thu, Dec 24, 2009, at 6:37 PM
  • *

    What a bunch of malarkey! Ben "Dover" Nelson sold out. It is a s simple as that.

    Nelson's so-called stand does nothing but make certain that taxpayer money will be used to kill kids, just like it is right now.

    Don't you folks get it, the feds already give Planned Parenthood, billions of dollars to kill kids!

    What Ben "Dover" Nelson did by signing on to this hideous health care takeover plan, is make sure that millions of old folks will be rationed to death.

    What the hell, we are already killing kids in America, going ahead and killing off old people shouldn't be to big of a leap.

    You folks will stand by and let that happen too. How do I know it? You have stood by while fifty million babies have been executed, what reason do I have to believe you'll stand up for seniors?

    That's alright America. Screw the seniors! Now go watch Ellen on American Idol.

    -- Posted by sameldridge on Sat, Dec 26, 2009, at 12:09 AM

  • Mr. Nelson had the chance to keep ANYTHING about abortion out of ANY health care bill when they needed his vote to even get the bill to the Senate floor.. He had some lame excuse about how if he let it get to the Senate floor he would be able to debate it and make the health care bill better. All he did was make all Nebraskans look like we are a bunch of backwood hicks who need special treatment from the Gubment . Thanks Ben and Thanks for making me a baby killer. Also....ANYBODY who thinks Ben wont be appointed to some phoney Gubment job when he is not re-elected just wait and see. I bet he won't even run again because of the stink he will raise for selling his vote. Yes...you stuck to your guns alright. The way Gubment is run today is a pathetic disgrace to all people who call themselves Americans.

    -- Posted by oldrunner on Sat, Dec 26, 2009, at 3:47 PM
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