There’s been a tremendous amount of misunderstanding about the abortion funding language in both health care bills that have passed. Because Bart Stupak has obstinately rejected anything but his own amendment, people seem to think that the compromise language passed in the Senate bill would protect a woman’s right to choose. But a George Washington U. study from last year stated that the Senate compromise brokered by Ben Nelson would be potentially just as destructive to access to reproductive choice services, because restricting access within the insurance exchange would also manifest itself outside it:

Furthermore, as with insurance laws generally, and for the reasons stated in our earlier analysis, the amendment could be anticipated to have considerable spillover effects. This is because companies that issue insurance products (or administered products in the case of sales to self-insured plans) obviously desire to sell these products in as many markets as possible. If one purchaser market places significant restrictions on one or more aspects of product design, it is likely that sellers will attempt to design their products to a common denominator, so that the product can be sold across all markets in which the company desires to do business. This is particularly true with modern health insurance coverage products, where the concern is not only the coverage but the provider network through which coverage will be obtained.

Today, Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood reminded everyone of this fact, that the Senate compromise is no picnic. While Richards denounces the Stupak amendment in her statement, she really sees that as only marginally worse than the Nelson language, which she calls “the most significant restriction in access to abortion coverage in the nearly 35 years since the U.S. Congress first adopted the Hyde Amendment.”

Now you have a situation where the abortion language, which probably cannot be changed via any reconciliation sidecar, may be unacceptable to anti-choice and pro-choice lawmakers alike. Richards’ call for fixing the language comes too late for that to happen, and it just adds one more problem for the leadership as they try to corral the votes. In addition, Richards’ opposition makes clear that, regardless of which anti-choicer’s language gets prominence, more women will lose the ability to access their abortion rights if the health care bill passes.

Richards’ full statement is on the flip.

Statement by Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, on Final Stages of Health Care Reform

“As a trusted provider of health care to millions of women and families, Planned Parenthood is committed to fixing our broken health care system and guaranteeing quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

“Nobody knows better than the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals in local Planned Parenthood health centers how urgently families need affordable, quality health care. If enacted, President Obama’s proposal would extend health care coverage to tens of millions of women and families, guarantee access to affordable preventive screenings for cancer and other life-saving tests, protect women against gender discrimination by private insurers, end the practice of dropping coverage because of pre-existing conditions, and significantly increase access to reproductive health care. The proposal also includes a commonsense provision to expand family planning under Medicaid, which would significantly increase access to essential preventive health care for millions of women.

“Given the promise of health care reform to extend coverage to millions of Americans, it would be a travesty if the current health care reform effort resulted in the loss of reproductive health care coverage, including abortion, which most women currently have under private health insurance plans. If the current Senate language introduced by Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) is maintained, it would result in the most significant restriction in access to abortion coverage in the nearly 35 years since the U.S. Congress first adopted the Hyde Amendment.

“Under the burdensome Nelson provision in the Senate health care reform bill, it is anticipated that most private health insurers would no longer offer coverage for abortion. Since most women with private health insurance have coverage for abortion, the Nelson provision would take away coverage that women have now. For that reason, Planned Parenthood opposed the Nelson provision when it was proposed and continues to oppose it.

“Congress must fix the Nelson provision as part of health care reform and guarantee that reform will not result in women losing benefits they currently have.

“Planned Parenthood is also deeply concerned about increased pressure by Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) and his anti-choice allies in the House to reintroduce the Stupak abortion ban. The Senate already rejected the Stupak abortion ban because women across the country spoke out in opposition to it.

“The White House and congressional leaders must ensure that the Stupak ban will not be enacted through any legislative bill or amendment related to health care reform or any other legislative or regulatory vehicle.

“We cannot let anti-choice individuals and groups use the reform process to achieve their narrow political agenda to end access to safe and legal abortion in the United States. Planned Parenthood praises President Obama for his leadership in moving health care reform forward. We stand ready to work with President Obama and the congressional leadership for health care reform that meets the needs of women and all Americans.”