Posted by
Billy on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:59:42 AM
The US Senate could start debating its final healthcare reform bill as early
as Tuesday, pitting Democrat against Democrat over the controversial question of
abortion coverage.
The debate puts Barack Obama, who campaigned as pro-choice, in the middle of
one of the most emotional and enduring debates in US politics, potentially
forcing him to take sides on an issue he has tried to avoid since becoming
president. (Abortion
clause raises problems for Obama... )
The House of Representatives this month passed a healthcare reform bill that
would sharply curtail access to abortion. Several Democrats in the Senate have
said they want similar restrictions in their own bill.
Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the upper chamber, is “still consulting
with members of his caucus” on the abortion issue, one aide said, and it is not
yet clear whether he will include the restrictions.
“This is a horrible dilemma,” said Larry Sabato, a political science
professor at the University of Virginia. “The Democrats have to pass something –
they have no choice,” he said, adding that they have backed themselves into a
corner by making healthcare reform a priority.
( I am sorry this isn't so tough you either vote for the unborn children and against abortion or you vote for abortion.)