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Can Sen. Nelson Drive a Hard Bargain?

by Charlie Spiering

In the fight to prevent federal funds from funding health care plans that cover abortions, one Democrat has stuck to his guns: Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Indeed, today’s front page of the Los Angeles Times website credits the stalled Senate legislation to “a lone Democrat” and his firm stand on abortion policy, in addition to procedural delays from the GOP.

Stronger abortion restrictions are needed, Nelson has stated repeatedly, in order to insure that taxpayers are not funding abortion. If these restrictions aren't met, he insists that the Senate can't count on his vote to help pass the health care reform bill.

His withheld vote can make an immense impact on the final bill, as Senate Majority leader Harry Reid still fights to clear the 60 vote hurdle he needs to move the bill forward.

Earlier this week, Connecticut’s Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman enraged liberal Democrats by  insisting the Senate drop an expensive expansion of Medicare that was included in the bill. In spite of the vitriol criticism, President Obama asked Reid personally to do whatever was necessary to bring Lieberman on board.

Lieberman got his way as Reid caved to his wishes, much to the chagrin of many in his party.

But will the Democratic leadership do the same for Nelson?

“I’m not on the bill,” Nelson told reporters on Tuesday. “I have spoken with the president and he knows they are not wrapped up today. I think everybody understands they are not wrapped up today and that impression will not be given.”

Still, in his meeting with Senate Democrats this week, President Obama insisted that the Senate was “on the precipice” of passing the bill.

There’s a noticeable and stark difference between Nelson’s situation and the way abortion restrictions were handled in the House of Representatives last month. Then, pro-life Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak had the luxury of standing with about 40 of his House colleagues, forcing Speaker Nancy Pelosi to include his amendment that blocked federally subsidized health care plans from covering abortions.

Nelson’s amendment was essentially identical, but it failed in the Senate with a vote tabling the motion 54-45. Six other Democrats had joined Nelson in voting for the amendment, but now none of them are offering to stand with their colleague against the final bill if it fails to include such common sense abortion restrictions.

Even more discouraging were the 15 Catholic senators who voted to kill Nelson’s amendment.

What’s next for pro-lifers? With the Nelson Amendment tabled, pro-life advocates are left with no choice but to oppose the health care reform bill unless last minute changes are made.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, urged senators this week to continue the tradition of the Hyde Amendment and add language barring federal funding for abortion.

He wrote:

While [the bill’s] abortion language has been called a “compromise,” it is only a compromise between current law and a broader policy on abortion funding, as it explicitly authorizes the use of federal funds to subsidize health plans covering elective abortions for the first time in history. Health care reform is too urgently needed to be placed at risk by one lobbying group’s insistence on changing the law.

Indeed, the abortion industry is desperate for federally funded health insurance plans that cover abortions. Their ability to claim federal funds being limited, they are fighting tooth and nail to chip away at the Hyde Amendment. A recent Harvard study noted that Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation, has been struggling financially due to “tough economic times” and “a hostile political environment.” Little wonder that the abortion conglomerate would be eager for a financial boost, as a chance to spread their industry worldwide.

Notably, the cardinal pointed out that every Democratic senator who has claimed Nelson’s abortion policy goes too far in preserving the Hyde Amendment voted just this week to retain that exact policy in the Senate’s omnibus spending bill.

“From the outset of the health care reform debate, we have not sought to use this legislation as a vehicle for advancing the pro-life cause – and we have urged others not to use it to advance the pro-abortion cause,” Cardinal DiNardo wrote. “The current Senate bill fails to achieve this balance.”

Democrats have long insisted that there is room for pro-life politicians in the “big tent” party. If that’s the case, it’s time for those pro-life senators to act on their convictions, challenge their party leadership and stand up to pressure from colleagues beholden to the pro-abortion lobby.

One lone Democrat is leading the charge. 

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(The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Headline Bistro or the Knights of Columbus.)