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| If the complete government takeover of America's
health care system is to be stopped, the battle will be over federal funding
for abortion. That important fight could still prove the stumbling block for
the Democrats' socialist health care bill. The pressure is now back on the House of Representatives. Eleven of the Democrats who voted for the House version of the health care bill have repeatedly stated that they did so only because the bill contained firm language banning use of taxpayer funds to support abortion. Indeed, those 11 signed a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stating that they "cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan." There is also one Republican, Louisiana Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, who voted for the House health bill but who will now oppose it without a prohibition on government-funded abortions. Every other Republican in the House voted against the massive government expenditure already. The original House health care bill passed by a slim margin of 220 to 215. But with the 11 Democratic members and Mr. Cao promising to vote against the bill if it includes abortion funding (which is included in the Senate bill), Democrats will have to persuade 10 of the 38 Democratic congressmen who voted against the original bill to change their vote to make up the 12 lost votes. (The original number of Democratic dissenters was 39, but Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith has since crossed the aisle and become a Republican.) Twenty-two of the 38 House Democrats who voted against the health care bill voted to support the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which banned forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions. With that provision removed, these Democrats should have an even more difficult time voting for the government health care takeover. In a world where consistency matters, the Democratic leadership needs to get 10 of the remaining 16 Democratic congressmen to switch their votes. That will take serious arm twisting or some really expensive payoffs. Thirty of the 38 Democrats represent congressional districts that voted for Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Many are freshmen who need to be extra sensitive to the views of their constituents. There's a belief in the nation's capital that so-called "moderate" Democrats only vote against their liberal party line when their votes don't count. We hope that's not the case. Either way, constituents for all 38 of these congressmen need to let their voices be heard. These 38 individuals will make the difference. Rasmussen polling finds that Americans by a 14-percentage point margin disapprove of the health care bill passing through Congress. Presumably that opposition is even stronger in the Republican-leaning districts that these congressmen represent. Hopefully, these politicians will listen to their constituents. Below is a list of the 38 representatives and the districts they represent. The following information indicates which ones voted for the pro-life Stupak-Pitts Amendment, the percentage of the time they have voted for pro-life legislation this year, and the telephone numbers for their Washington and main district offices. In the National Right to Life Voting Rating following the member, a higher percentage indicates a more pro-life voting record. John Adler (N.J. 3) 0% Call (202) 225-4765 and (732) 608-7235 Jason Altmire (Pa. 4) 50% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2565 and (724) 378-0928 Brian Baird (Wash. 3) 0% Call (202) 225-3536 and (360) 695-6292 John Barrow (Ga. 12) 25% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2823 and (912) 354-7282 John Boccieri (Ohio 16) 50% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-3876 or (330) 489-4414 Dan Boren (Okla. 2) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2701 and (918) 687-2533 Rick Boucher (Va. 9) 0% Call (202) 225-3861 and (276) 628-1145 Allen Boyd (Fla. 2) 0% Call (202) 225-5235 and (850) 561-3979 Bobby Bright (Ala. 2) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2901 and (334) 794-9680 Ben Chandler (Ky. 6) 25% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-4706 and (859) 219-1366 Travis Childers (Miss. 1) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-4306 and (662) 841-8808 Artur Davis (Ala. 7) 50% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2665 and (205) 254-1960 Lincoln Davis (Tenn. 4) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-6831 and (931) 879-2361 Chet Edwards (Texas 17) 0% Call (202) 225-6105 and (254) 752-9600 Bart Gordon (Tenn. 6) 25% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-4231 and (615) 896-1986 Tim Holden (Pa. 17) 25% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-5546 and (717) 234-5904 Larry Kissell (N.C. 8) 0% Call (202) 225-3715 and (704) 786-1612 Suzanne Kosmas (Fla. 24) 0% Call (202) 225-2706 and (386) 756-9798 Frank Kratovil Jr. (Md. 1) 0% Call (202) 225-5311 and (443) 262-9136 Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio 10) 25% Call (202) 225-5871 or (216) 228-8850 Betsy Markey (Colo. 4) 25% Call (202) 225-4676 and (970) 221-7110 Jim Marshall (Ga. 8) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-6531 and (478) 464-0255 Eric Massa (N.Y. 29) 25% Call (202) 225-3161 and (585) 218-0040 Jim Matheson (Utah 2) 50% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-3011 and (801) 486-1236 Mike McIntyre (N.C. 7) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2731 and (910) 323-0260 Michael E. McMahon (N.Y. 13) 0% Call (202) 225-3371 and (718) 351-1062 Charlie Melancon (La. 3) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-4031 and (225) 621-8490 Walt Minnick (Idaho 1) 0% Call (202) 225-6611 and (208) 888-3188 Scott Murphy (N.Y. 20) 25% Call (202) 225-5614 and (518) 581-8247 Glenn Nye (Va. 2) 25% Call (202) 225-4215 and (757) 326-6201 Collin C. Peterson (Minn. 7) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2165 and (218) 847-5056 Mike Ross (Ark. 4) 50% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-3772 and (870) 536-3376 Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.) 0% Call (202) 225-2801 and (605) 367-8371 Heath Shuler (N.C. 11) 75% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-6401 and (828) 252-1651 Ike Skelton (Mo. 4) 75% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2876 and (816) 228-4242 John Tanner (Tenn. 8) 25% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-4714 and (731) 885-7070 Gene Taylor (Miss. 4) 100% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-5772 and (228) 864-7670 Harry Teague (N.M. 2) 25% Voted for Stupak-Pitts Amendment Call (202) 225-2365 and (575) 393-0510 |