House subcommittee rejects effort to remove abortion coverage

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Legislative Action
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Congressional subcommittees are reviewing the President's health care plan.
• Debates surrounding abortion coverage are a key component of health care reform discussions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on recent subcommittee votes concerning abortion coverage within proposed health care legislation.
• To document amendments proposed and rejected regarding abortion services in national and veterans' health care.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of voting records from House Education and Labor Committee subcommittees.
• Review of amendments proposed and their outcomes in legislative sessions.

Main Results:

• The Labor/Management Relations subcommittee rejected an amendment to limit abortion coverage to specific cases (rape, incest, life endangerment) by a 16-11 vote.
• An amendment to prevent health care reform from overriding state abortion laws was also defeated (14-11).
• A Veterans' Affairs subcommittee voted 11-8 to prohibit abortions at VA hospitals and using VA funds for abortion services.

Conclusions:

• Subcommittee actions indicate ongoing debate and varying stances on abortion coverage within health care reform.
• These votes are preliminary and do not represent final decisions on national health care policy.
• Further legislative action is pending as multiple committees continue their review of health care reform proposals.