Abortion in New England: Breakdown of Stupak Amendment Vote
On Saturday, November 7, the House of Representatives voted 240-194 to pass the Stupak Amendment to its health care reform bill, H.R. 3962. Under current federal law (known as the “Hyde Amendment”), federal funds can not be used to procure abortions. The Stupak Amendment goes farther, setting a much stricter rule: if just one person receives a federal subsidy to help pay for a private health insurance plan, then nobody under that plan can receive health insurance coverage for abortions. If the amended House bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by President Barack Obama, then a large share of private health care plans in America will cease to offer coverage for abortions. Wealthy women will continue to be able to procure abortions. Middle class women will find it difficult to cover the cost, and poor women will find the cost to be prohibitive.
The following is a breakdown of votes on the Stupak Amendment by members of Congress from New England states. Links will take you to a web page with contact information for each member of Congress:
Voting FOR the Stupak Amendment:
Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-MA)
Rep. James Langevin (D-RI)
Voting AGAINST the Stupak Amendment:
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT)
Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT)
Rep. John Larson (D-CT)
Rep. Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
Rep. John W. Olver (D-MA)
Rep. James P. McGovern (D-MA)
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA)
Rep. John Tierney (D-MA)
Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA)
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA)
Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA)
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
Rep. Paul Hodes II (D-NH)
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
