Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu Flip-Flops, Opposes Amdt to Stop Abortion Funds
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 8, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — When she voted today on the Nelson amendment to strip the abortion funding from the Senate government-run health care bill, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, was accused of flip-flopping because of her no vote. Landrieu has voted against government funding of abortions before.
In 2008, Landrieu was one of nine Democrats to vote for an amendment similar to the Nelson amendment that would prevent abortion funding in the bill that covers government health care for native Americans living on Indiana reservations.
However, Landrieu’s spokesman Aaron Saunders told the Weekly Standard last night that "We expect her to oppose" the Nelson amendment when the Senate votes today.
Landriu eventualy did so and joined the majority of senators in supporting abortion funding.
Asked why she would deviate from a past vote opposing abortion funding, Saunders said Landrieu would not explain her position today.
Weekly Standard writer John McCormack said Landrieu would likely face complaints from constituents if she votes against the Nelson amendment and for abortion funding.
"Federal-funding of insurance plans that cover abortions is very unpopular–according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 61 percent of Americans think insurance plans purchased with government assistance ‘should not be allowed to include coverage for abortions.’ Opposition to federal funding is likely stronger in a red state like Louisiana where many Democrats (like former senator John Breaux and Rep. Charlie Melancon) are pro-life," he explained.
Following the weekly Standard’s report, WWL-TV spoke with Saunders, who confirmed his quote but backtracked it and would not say how Landrieu would vote.
“Her record on that has been clear, and that remains her position," Saunders said.
The television station indicated he told it "he meant that she would oppose further restrictions on funding for abortions, not that it would result in a vote against the amendment as reported. He said the office won’t say which way the senator will vote until her announcement Tuesday."
Landrieu has also voted for abortion funding in other instances — with a vote in January of this year opposing efforts to restore the Mexico City Policy that President Barack Obama overturned to allow tax-funding of groups that perform and promote abortions overseas.
Landrieu is facing calls to oppose the pro-abortion health care bill itself.
One pro-life organization, the Family Research Council, is going as far as calling every household in the state to drum up calls to her to oppose the bill.
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