By Ken de la Bastide
Since the debate over health-care reform started, 2nd District Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., has clearly stated he is opposed to any federal funding for abortion-related services.
And unless funding for abortion services is removed from the proposed legislation, Donnelly will vote against passage.
With the administration of President Barack Obama pushing for passage of a Senate bill by Thursday, the administration is hoping to gather enough Democrat votes for passage.
Top House Democrats said they have given up trying to win over some conservative Democrats demanding that the bill strictly bar federal aid for abortion, according to The Associated Press.
In a statement, Donnelly said he supports health insurance because there is a need to “level the playing field” between families and insurance companies.
“But if I’m asked to vote on the Senate health-care reform bill as is, I will vote no,” he said. “The process over the past few months has been frustrating, including the cutting of unacceptable special deals to assure a few senators’ votes. Also, the Senate version of health-care reform does not meet my standards for assuring that no federal funds are used for abortion-related services.”
During a town hall meeting in Kokomo last August, Donnelly said his stance has always been against any federal funding for abortion.
“We have recently proven that we can come together in a bipartisan way to pass common-sense measures to reform the health insurance industry. For example, over 400 Democrats and Republicans in the House voted to pass legislation in February that would remove the anti-trust exemption for the health insurance industry. This long-overdue reform would increase competition to bring down costs for consumers.”
Donnelly said members of Congress can agree on many things, and that passage of other common-sense reforms — such as preventing insurance companies from denying folks coverage because of a pre-existing condition and enabling businesses and individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines.
He voted for passage of a House bill on health-care reform in November, stating it was a way to make health care affordable for all Americans and control insurance rates.
Donnelly said the debate on health-care reform is keeping the federal government from addressing the most critical issue in the district, which is job creation.
“The way this debate has dragged on for months and has caused many in Washington to lose sight of the most important issue to me and the folks back home: Jobs,” he said.
