Nelson Amendment
Encyclopedia
The Nelson Amendment is the name given to an amendment to restrict federal funding of elective abortions in the Senate version of America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009
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had said he would not support a bill that "doesn't make it clear that it does not fund abortion with government money".
and threatened to support a filibuster
of the Senate bill if the language was not included.
organizations, Nelson shifted his position and indicated that he would lobby for tighter restrictions on elective abortion funding similar to the Stupak-Pitts Amendment.
's election to the Senate in January 2010, the Nelson Amendment was viewed by the pro-choice leadership of the Democratic party as one of the big hurdles in passing legislation, along with other significant issues such as the public option. Brown removed the pressure away from Senator Nelson in carrying the decisive political opposition to the bill because the Republicans were united in their own opposition to it.
America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009
The proposed America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 was an unsuccessful bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14, 2009. The bill was introduced during the first session of the 111th Congress as part of an effort of the Democratic Party leadership to enact health...
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No abortions funded with government money
Democratic Senator Ben NelsonBen Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....
had said he would not support a bill that "doesn't make it clear that it does not fund abortion with government money".
Support for a filibuster
He introduced a Senate version of the Stupak–Pitts AmendmentStupak–Pitts Amendment
The Stupak–Pitts Amendment was a proposed amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2010 . It was submitted by Representatives Bart Stupak and Joseph R. Pitts...
and threatened to support a filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
of the Senate bill if the language was not included.
Segregation of elective abortion funding
He later agreed to accept a version that would allow people to use federal subsidies to buy plans that include abortion coverage while requiring them to pay for elective abortion coverage separately without subsidies. States could exclude plans providing abortion coverage from their respective exchanges. After criticism from national pro-lifePro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
organizations, Nelson shifted his position and indicated that he would lobby for tighter restrictions on elective abortion funding similar to the Stupak-Pitts Amendment.
Relationship with Scott Brown's election
Until Scott BrownScott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
's election to the Senate in January 2010, the Nelson Amendment was viewed by the pro-choice leadership of the Democratic party as one of the big hurdles in passing legislation, along with other significant issues such as the public option. Brown removed the pressure away from Senator Nelson in carrying the decisive political opposition to the bill because the Republicans were united in their own opposition to it.