Washington D.C., Dec 17, 2009 / 14:22 pm
As Senate Democrats attempt to reach a compromise with Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) on the health care bill, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) has sent him a proposal in an attempt to assuage his concerns that the current bill allows taxpayer funds to be used to pay for abortions. Sen. Nelson has responded that the proposal “isn't sufficient.”
In a statement released today, Nelson said that although the compromise from Sen. Casey “adds important new initiatives addressing teen pregnancy and tax credits to help with adoptions ... as it is, without modifications, the language concerning abortion is not sufficient.” These concerns were relayed to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the statement added.
Senator Nelson further explained that the compromise “does not yet ensure that a longstanding federal standard barring public funding of abortion would be maintained in the Senate health care bill the Senate has been debating this month.”
“This is not an issue where you can split the difference. That’s what makes it so challenging,” Nelson told KLIN radio.