The Senate took a crucial step toward a showdown on abortion with the introduction of an amendment by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and nine other anti-abortion-rights senators.

Nelson argues the healthcare bill introduced by Majority Leader Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidGOP senators confident Trump pick to be confirmed by November Durbin: Democrats can 'slow' Supreme Court confirmation 'perhaps a matter of hours, maybe days at most' Supreme Court fight pushes Senate toward brink MORE (D-Nev.), does not do enough to prevent federal dollars from being used to finance abortion services.

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“As written, the Senate healthcare bill allows taxpayer dollars, directly and indirectly, to pay for insurance plans that cover abortion. Most Nebraskans, and Americans, do not favor using public funds to cover abortion and as a result this bill shouldn’t open the door to do so,” Nelson said in a statement.

Nelson has made plain that he is prepared to join a Republican filibuster of the bill if strict abortion language is not adopted.





The Senate will consider the amendment in the coming days but Nelson and his anti-abortion-rights allies in the Senate likely cannot muster the 60 votes they need to prevail.





Because Reid needs to hold his entire 60-member Democratic caucus together on the healthcare bill in order to advance it toward passage, a defection by Nelson over abortion would force Reid to seek at least one GOP supporter.

Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant HatchBottom line Bottom line Senate GOP divided over whether they'd fill Supreme Court vacancy MORE (Utah), Sam Brownback (Kansas), John Thune John Randolph ThuneHouse in near-unanimous vote affirms peaceful transfer of power In rare move, Schumer forces vote to consider health care bill amid Supreme Court tensions Supreme Court nominee gives no clues in GOP meeting MORE (S.D.), Tom Coburn Thomas (Tom) Allen CoburnCOVID response shows a way forward on private gun sale checks Inspector general independence must be a bipartisan priority in 2020 Congress must protect federal watchdogs MORE (Okla.) Mike Johanns Michael (Mike) Owen JohannsMeet the Democratic sleeper candidate gunning for Senate in Nebraska Farmers, tax incentives can ease the pain of a smaller farm bill Lobbying World MORE (Neb.), David Vitter David Bruce VitterLysol, Charmin keep new consumer brand group lobbyist busy during pandemic Bottom line Bottom line MORE (La.) and John Barrasso John Anthony BarrassoEnergy innovation bill can deliver jobs and climate progress Trump's Teflon problem: Nothing sticks, including the 'wins' Senate to push funding bill vote up against shutdown deadline MORE (Wyo.) co-sponsored the amendment. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Robert (Bob) Patrick CaseySecond GOP senator to quarantine after exposure to coronavirus GAO report finds brokers offered false info on coverage for pre-existing conditions Catholic group launches .7M campaign against Biden targeting swing-state voters MORE Jr. (Pa.) also co-sponsored the Nelson amendment but has said he would not block the final bill from passage if the amendment fails.

Casey, Nelson and other lawmakers worked closely with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to come up with language that would meet the church's requirements. In a letter sent to all 100 senators Monday, the bishops endorse the Nelson amendment.

The Nelson amendment is based on language authored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and attached to the House-passed healthcare reform bill. Though the Stupak amendment passed the House floor and pro-abortion-rights Democrats in the lower chamber did not revolt and oppose the legislation itself, interest groups and abortion-rights supporters in the House and Senate have vowed to fight a healthcare bill that includes the Stupak amendment or similar provisions. President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaIt's now up to health systems to solve our food problems Testing the Electoral College process against judicial overreach Obama steps into The Shade Room to urge 'roommates' to vote, says White House 'working to keep people from voting' MORE also indicated after the House vote that the Stupak amendment goes too far.

The authors of the Senate healthcare reform legislation maintain, as the did the authors of the underlying House bill, that their measure already upholds a law named after former Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) that prohibits federal funding of abortions by requiring abortion services be paid for using only money from insurance customers’ premiums, not from any federal funding or federal subsidies. But anti-abortion-rights lawmakers and activists, including the Catholic Church, reject this approach as an accounting gimmick.

Two of the Republican co-sponsors expressed doubt the amendment would pass the Senate even if all anti-abortion-rights Republicans vote for it.



"A lot of us on the Republican side will support that. The question is whether or not you can get 60, which I think is very much in doubt," said Thune, the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. "I certainly hope that it passes. I’m enough of a realist, talking to both Democrats and Republicans, to believe that that’s going to be a very heavy lift."



Even if the amendment goes down as expected, Coburn predicted Reid would be forced to include provisions similar to the Stupak amendment in the final bill via a manager's amendment containing numerous changes agreed to by the Democratic caucus if he hopes to win 60 votes.



Reid is holding a vote on the Nelson amendment to provide Democrats on both sides of the abortion issue with political cover so they can say they fought for their principles, Coburn said.

"They’re going to allow a cover vote," Coburn said, "so everybody can stake their position [and] say, ‘Well, I can’t control the manager’s amendment.’"

