Health care reform's fragile chances took a turn for the worse Monday as pro-abortion-rights lawmakers led by Rep. Diana DeGette vowed to kill the bill if an anti-abortion amendment isn't stripped from the final version.
The drama played out for most of the day on cable television as pro- abortion-rights Democrats who were outmaneuvered over the weekend suddenly went on the offensive.
DeGette's point of maximum leverage was probably Saturday night. The bill passed with only two votes to spare. If DeGette and two allies had bolted, the bill would have failed. My guess is that the reconcilled version of the bill will have a bigger margin and there will be too much pressure on DeGette to stick with the party line.
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