Will abortion sink health reform?

As the controversial "abortion amendment" splits Democratic ranks, the final bill's odds of getting passed look shakier

House Democrats are squaring off over abortion — with 40 pro-life Democrats threatening to vote against health-care reform if the anti-abortion "[Bart] Stupak amendment" is stripped from the final bill, and 41 pro-choice representatives saying they'll vote "no" if the amendment stays in. President Obama has told Congress it has to find wording both sides can accept, saying: "This is a health-care bill, not an abortion bill." Will the abortion fight derail health-care reform? (watch Obama praise the House health-care reform bill)

Pro-choicers could sink the bill: The politics of passing health-care reform just got a lot tougher, says Greg Sargent in The Plum Line. Forty-one Democrats — enough to kill the bill -- will vote "no" if the final wording further restricts women's right to choose. Rep. Bart Stupak's amendment would "sharply curtail the availability of abortions" — which many insurance plans now cover — so the war will only intensify.

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