Abortion coverage riles Catholic bishops

WASHINGTON — The White House is on a collision course with Catholic bishops in an intractable dispute over abortion that could blow up the fragile political coalition behind President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul.

A top Obama administration official is praising the new Senate health bill's attempt to find a compromise on abortion coverage — even as an official of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says Sen. Harry Reid's bill is the worst he's seen so far on the divisive issue.

The bishops were instrumental in getting tough anti-abortion language adopted by the House, forcing Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to accept restrictions that outraged liberals as the price for passing the Democratic health-care bill.

Reid, D-Nev., now faces a similar choice: Ultimately, he will need the votes of a handful of Democratic senators who oppose abortion to get his bill through. Republicans hoping to block the health bill in the Senate are relishing the Democrats' predicament.

"Obviously, it's a problem (for Reid)," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., the No. 2 Republican, said Friday.

Reid has steered the Senate bill in a direction that abortion-rights supporters can live with: allowing coverage for abortion in federally subsidized health-care plans, provided that beneficiaries' own premiums are used to pay for the procedure. But abortion opponents say his compromise would gut current restrictions that bar federal funding of abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

Despite criticism, Reid is expected to prevail on an initial Senate showdown set for tonight. He needs a 60-vote majority to advance the health bill toward full debate. It's during that debate — expected to begin after Thanksgiving and last for weeks — that the battle over abortion will be joined. Reid will need the votes of anti-abortion Democrats to clear other 60-vote hurdles before the Senate can take final action.

At the White House, health reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle praised Reid's effort to find a compromise on abortion.

"It was carefully worked through by the leader, who cares a lot about making sure this maintains the status quo on abortion policy," DeParle told reporters on Thursday. Obama has said he wants the bill to remain neutral on abortion, and DeParle said Reid struck just the right balance.

But Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the bishops' conference Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said Reid's "is actually the worst bill" on life issues.

He called it completely unacceptable, adding that "to say this reflects current law is ridiculous."