Abortion stirs up debate on healthcare

The always delicate political truce in the United States on abortion rights has been plunged into unexpected jeopardy thanks to an amendment inserted at the 11th hour in the healthcare reform legislation approved by the House of Representatives.

Tensions that have lurked barely below the surface of the healthcare debate exploded into the open when more than 60 Democrats in the House approved the amendment adding new restrictions on access to abortion.

The manoeuvre helped ensure the passage of the legislation in the House. The US Senate is scheduled to begin debating its version of reform early next week.

President Barack Obama and other Democratic Party leaders have strived for months to keep the lid on debate about abortion, which becomes very emotional very fast.

The President expressed anxiety that fresh political warfare on the issue could derail the wider reform effort. "This is a health care bill, not an abortion bill," he insisted.

While the US Supreme Court returned to women the right to seek an abortion in the landmark 1973 Roe vs Wade ruling, Congress subsequently instituted a rule barring the use of federal funds for abortions.

But access to abortion, particularly for poorer women, would be narrowed further under the amendment introduced by Congressman Bart Stupak last weekend.

The Stupak amendment aims indeed to ensure that abortions will not be available under the new system to women with health coverage subsidised by Government dollars.

But it also bars insurers from including abortions in their coverage plans if they participate in proposed health insurance exchanges designed to make it easier for lower-income people and small business owners to get insurance.

This represents a change of the rules for women because the effect of the amendment would be to make it impossible for some to obtain coverage for abortions even when they are ready to pay for it with their own money.

In practice, few women in the US who obtain abortions claim back the costs for them even if they have coverage, usually for reasons of privacy. But such is the determination of both sides to hold their respective ground that any tweaks to the law will always trigger an outbreak of war.

- INDEPENDENT