I’ve been trying to unravel this confusing amendment/s on abortion mandates for the current healthcare bill in the House of Representatives (HR 3200). This is coming out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (I also don’t know why an Energy and Commerce committee would be voting on this), there’s significant sleight of hands happening here which is why this got confusing.

Found a nutshell version from Hot Air (Allahpundit):

Last night, led by pro-life Dem Bart Stupak, Waxman’s committee passed an amendment barring any mandate in ObamaCare for private insurers to pay for abortions. One curious hitch: Waxman voted for it. Why? Because, only if you vote yes do you get to ask for a “reconsideration� of the amendment later, which Waxman promptly did after he “convinced� (i.e. likely bought off) Blue Dog Bart Gordon to switch his vote. The result: A new “compromise� amendment introduced by pro-choicer Lois Capps passed, 30-28.

From Life News:

Rep. Lois Capps, a California Democrat, proposed an amendment that she claimed was a “compromise” between pro-life advocates and abortion proponents.

The amendment explicitly permits the Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, pro-abortion advocate Kathleen Sebelius, to include abortion in the services offered by public option and requires abortion coverage in the government health plan if the Hyde amendment is ever reversed.

HR 3200 authorizes taxpayer-funded affordability credits and he Capps amendment specifically requires taxpayer subsidies to flow to plans that include abortion, but creates an accounting scheme designed to give the impression that public funds will not subsidize abortion.

The Capps amendment also requires that a plan that includes abortion be made available in every region of the country.

Despite bipartisan opposition from Republicans and some pro-life Democrats on the committee, the panel approved the Capps amendment on a 30-28 vote. (Click here for vote listing.)

From The Weekly Standard:

Last week, Stupak said that there were a “minimum of 39 Democrats”–members who recently voted against public funding of abortion in Washington, D.C.–who would vote against a health-care bill that did not exclude coverage for elective abortions. Neither Zack Space nor Bart Gordon, the Blue Dogs who sided with Waxman, were among the 39 Democrats who voted against taxpayer funding of abortion in D.C. If those 39 Democrats joined all Republicans, they would have enough votes to defeat the bill.

I read (from a commenter) that Rep. Gordon’s office is telling constituents that he did not vote for abortion mandates and once the Capp Amendment vote is mentioned the staffer goes silent.

Bart Gordon’s office is telling callers he voted for the Stupak amendment and is against abortion in the public plan. When I told them about the Capps amendment, the story in the Hill and on the blogs, they then said “no comment”. In other words, they lie because it is Friday. Bart Gordon wants to raise taxes to fund Planned Parenthood? egads, he is nuts.

Obamacare, Rep Bart Gordon D-Tn, pro abortion vote, Capp Amendment,