PRO-LIFE DEMOCRATS PRAISE HOUSE FOR PASSAGE OF HEALTH CARE REFORM

STATEMENT OF KRISTEN DAY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DEMOCRATS FOR LIFE OF AMERICA

"The House of Representatives answered the call of history today when they passed health care reform. While it would be tempting to call this a Democratic win, the truth is the American people are the winners of this hard fought victory.

That's why Democrats For Life of America applauds Speaker Nancy Pelosi for agreeing to clear the way for the passage of this historic legislation. But we would be remiss if we didn't thank Congressmen Bart Stupak, Brad Ellsworth and other Members for their heroic efforts to fight for the amendment that removed tax payer funded abortions from the final bill.

Democrats proved today that we are a big tent party that can put our differences aside to help the American people. Republicans can't make that claim. That's why we stand ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Democratic majority to expand the big tent so that we can fulfill President Obama's challenge to make America a place where anything is possible.

Moving forward, we encourage the Senate to see how quickly they can pass their version of the Public Option when we put health care reform before ideological fights like abortion. We stand willing to work side-by-side with the Senate leadership to craft and promote the bill if tax payer funded abortions is removed from their bill."