As a recap for anybody not paying attention, two important things happened last night on the healthcare bill. Most significantly, it passed the House of Representatives. And only slightly less significantly, pro-life Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak’s amendment passed. It bars the use of federal affordability credits to purchase any health insurance plan that covers abortion. The amendment passed on a 240 to 194 vote. The bill itself passed by 220 to 215.
For full disclosure, I would have voted for the Stupak amendment if given a chance—but a lot of people on the left are outraged. I can understand disappointment at the amendment—but outrage seems a bit misplaced. Compare the amendment’s margin of victory to the margin of victory of the bill itself.
Health care reform has popular support. So does some sort of public option. And, like it or not, preventing the taxpayer subsidy of abortion also has popular support.
