A pro-life group called Susan B. Anthony’s List has been trying to pressure pro-life Democrats to vote against a health care bill if it doesn’t include Stupak-like abortion language. Their latest effort was to poll voters in eight Congressional districts this week to prove that those pro-life members can either vote no, or face the end of their House careers.
But the poll seems to prove something else: These voters don’t want to see a health care bill passed at all — with or without abortion language.
The group, called the Susan B. Anthony List, polled in districts in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. They asked, among other things, whether the House should vote for a bill “if it allows for the federal funding of abortion.”
Not surprisingly, between 23% and 29%, depending on the district, said House members should vote down a bill that “allows for the federal funding of abortion.”
But more — from 38% to 51% — said they shouldn’t vote for the bill regardless of whether it prohibits abortion funding.
As far as November, the survey showed voters overwhelmingly saying they’d vote against someone who voted for a bill that “includes federal government funding of abortion.” But the group did not poll on whether those same voters would be loathe to re-elect congressmen who voted yes on any health care bill.
Nonetheless, the group said it would spend $500,000 in the districts on ads, robocalls and canvassing in an effort to get those members to vote against a health care bill.
The group polled in districts represented by Reps. Steve Driehaus, Charlie Wilson, Marcy Kaptur, John Boccieri, Brad Ellsworth, Baron Hill, Jason Altmire and Paul Kanjorski.
Last year, the House passed a health care reform bill that included restrictive abortion language written by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-PA). The Senate bill, which Democrats may try to get the House to adopt, lacks the language.
This morning, Stupak said he and 11 colleagues would vote “no” on a bill without language like his:
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