Why would healthcare reform be, if it passes without a specific exclusion of abortion, the “largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade”?
The (Senate) bill allows the federal government to subsidize private insurance plans that cover abortion on demand, to oversee multi-state plans that cover elective abortions, and to empower federal officials to mandate that private health plans cover abortions even if they do not accept subsidized enrollees. The Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, even agrees that decreased public funding of abortion results in 25 percent fewer abortions.

The House and Senate have their own versions of the healthcare bill, right? Do either one of them have a specific exclusion of abortion?
Yes, there are two versions as of now but they will have to be combined in the end into one bill. The House bill contains “Stupak language”, which prohibits government funding of abortion, while the Senate version doesn’t have a specific exclusion of abortion.

Do Americans support government funding of abortion?
Not even close. The latest national poll, this one from the non-partisan Quinnipiac University, shows 72-73% of Americans don’t want the government to pay for abortions.

What is the Stupak Amendment?
Congressman Bart Stupak, a pro-life Democrat from Michigan, introduced an amendment in the House that mirrors the Hyde Amendment (a long-standing policy that says the government won’t fund abortions) to be added to the House bill. He fought against his own pro-abortion leaning party to have his amendment voted on or else he would stop the healthcare bill, along with several of his pro-life Democrat colleagues. He was granted a vote and his amendment passed overwhelmingly, with 64 Democrats voting for it and against government funding of abortion. For more info on the Stupak Amendment, see the USCCB’s Q&A here.

Does the Stupak Amendment change the status quo? Some pro-choice groups are saying his amendment goes far beyond the Hyde Amendment and changes the status quo.
The Stupak amendment does not change the status quo on abortion funding through the government; it IS the status quo. It mirrors the Hyde amendment which prevents the government from funding elective abortion. The abortion industry is desperate to have the government fund the most lucrative part of their business – doing abortions. Besides, President Obama, when he was campaigning, promised the abortion industry he’d make sure the government pays for “reproductive care”, which includes abortion.

Didn’t the Senate reach a compromise on abortion since Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Bob Casey (D-PA) voted for the bill in the end, even though they are supposedly pro-life?
Both Senators took payoffs for their state, essentially bribes, to agree to a phony compromise by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The compromise is much like the phony Capps Amendment in the House that sought to enact a bad bookkeeping scheme in order to keep federal and private funds separate and pay for abortions that way. The Senate compromise also requires the federal government to pay premiums for private health plans that will cover any or all abortions.