I didn't see this diaried yet. Rep. Solomon Ortiz Sr. of TX-27 today announced his support for the health care bill and released this statement on his website. He voted yes on the earlier bill, but he also voted yes on the Stupak amendment. Several of my calls and e-mails to his office were met with the same reply of him sitting on the fence because of the issue of abortion.
This paragraph from his statement outlines his thoughts on the bill's abortion language:
I have always supported bans on federal funds during my time in Congress. After talking with legislative analysts from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, I am confident that public and private funds are mandated to be placed in separate accounts that ensure no federal dollars will be used to pay for elective abortions. This bill upholds current limitations. The legislation specifies that insurers participating in health insurance exchanges would not be required to offer abortion coverage. Additionally, states will be allowed to prohibit abortion coverage in their exchanges.
Even though this is not a no-yes flip, this is still good news. This area is heavily Catholic, and he was likely facing considerable pressure from from otherwise liberal folks (as well as the plethora of teabaggers we have around here) to stand with Stupak. I'm glad he's finally off the fence and would like to say thanks to everyone who called and e-mailed.