House Rep. Bart Stupak Primarily Responsible for Bill's Abortion Revisions

The House health care reform legislation was passed on Saturday night by a 220 to 215 vote largely due to the revisions that were made to the bill. The most frequently discussed revision that was made to the health care legislation was the banning of federal funding for abortions with exceptions in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment.

While it is no secret that most politicians have struggled to break House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by convincing her to adhere to their demands, House Democrat from Michigan Bart Stupak was the primary politician who vouched for the removal of federal funding for abortions. With House Democrats seemingly desperate to appeal to voters who had been undecided, Rep. Stupak's demands were met and legislation was passed by the narrowest of margins.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Rep. Stupak put his foot down by threatening to prevent the passing of any health care proposal that did not include an extended ban on federal funding for new programs that are being created. Due to the size and power of his alliance within the Democratic Party, the House Speaker had little choice but to succumb to his requests.

House Representative from Indiana Mike Pence provided a comment about Rep. Stupak's persistence in relation to the matter of abortion, stating, "Mr. Stupak and I have not always agreed on things. But I commend him for his effort here. His willingness to dig in the way he did was admirable."