House Members should be allowed a clear up-or-down vote on whether the Democrats’ health care bill can fund abortions, according to House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter (R-TX).

"The answer as to whether HR 3200 will allow federal funds to be used for abortion should be made crystal-clear to every House Member," says Carter. "Yet Democrat House leaders continue legalistic arguments as to how the U.S. Treasury can pay for abortions under their bill and somehow technically avoid using federal funds to do it. That is deceptive. We can easily clarify any ambiguity on this issue with a simple amendment reinforcing the current ban on federal funding of abortion. There should be little argument, since Democrats say they don’t intend for this bill to fund abortion to begin with."

Carter has joined other pro-life House Members in requesting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) allow a floor vote on a bipartisan amendment by Congressmen Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA).

The amendment would clarify that existing federal law that prohibits federal funds being used directly or indirectly to pay for abortions, other than in instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother, will continue to apply to HR 3200.