Is Bart Stupak the new Bob Casey? - Pro-Life Democrats Starting to Emerge

There is a battle waging within the war that some call Health Care Reform.

This battle is over abortion, life, and the culture of death.

The folks over at Catholic Vote of course are right on top of this, and have posted an article on their blog regarding some Dem's who are coming out on the Pro-Life side. So the hat-tip is directed towards them.

With overwhelming majorities in both the House and Senate, why are the Democrats having such a tough time getting the votes they need to pass a healthcare reform bill?

It's their insistence that healthcare reform bills pay for abortions. And the main person standing in their way isn't even a Republican. It's a Democrat by the name of Congressman Bart Stupak.

Is he a southern conservative blue-dog Democrat? No way. He's from northern Michigan and he's not a conservative. He's a blue-collar pro-union Catholic. On economics, he finds common cause with Nancy Pelosi. But unlike the Democratic leadership, Stupak opposes abortion.

As Bill McGurn says in today's Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Stupak is the kind of Catholic who once constituted the heart of the Democratic Party. Just like Gov. Casey before him, Mr. Stupak's stand for life—in this case, his fight against tax dollars for abortion—is making him a thorn in the side of a Democratic president."

Stupak wants a floor vote on removing all direct or indirect support for abortion from the bill. But as McGurn notes, Stupak's own party won't allow the vote to happen.

Now I am not saying rush out and vote for the man. But Stupak has in the past lent himself to vote a little more independent than the typical Michigan Dem who follows party lines. The question is, why this issue? Sure, one could say that it is the issue itself, but few Pro-Life Dem's have let the "life issue" stand in the way of the bigger "prize." Usually the "ends justifying the means" is a convenient excuse to ignore such an issue.

The interesting part is that Stupak wants the amendment, is the leading voice in this battle. I know more than a few Catholics who are disillusioned with both parties, and finding politicians who are interested in principles and beliefs would be a VERY WARM WELCOME.

Don't get me wrong, this is one battle, in a much larger war, but as Fr. Z says, "Brick by Brick." I don't expect to move to the U.P. to work for Stupak anytime soon, but I do applaud his stance on one of the most important issues facing Americans.