Abortion-rights group gear up for Senate debate

The Hill: "Abortion-rights groups are holding a lobby day on Wednesday to fight language in the House healthcare bill that would impose greater restrictions on access to the controversial procedure. The amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), adopted before House passage on Nov. 21, would prohibit women who receive government subsidies for healthcare from purchasing insurance that covers abortions, and it would prohibit coverage of the procedure in government-run health plans. A Senate healthcare bill backed by Democratic leaders is less restrictive, although the language is expected to come up during the floor debate that begins this week. ... Each side of the issue, which has re-emerged as a hot topic in Congress, has been rallying its grassroots network in preparation for the Senate fight" (Snyder and Brush, 11/30).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.