Abortion in Health Plan Tests a Pennsylvania Senator

Abortion in Health Plan Tests a Pennsylvania Senator; The New York Times

Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania wants to talk about health care, Medicare, children’s insurance, a public option — anything but abortion.

But that is pretty much impossible because Mr. Casey is the country’s most prominent “pro-life” Democrat. He credits his political career in large part to the popularity of his late father, the anti-abortion firebrand Gov. Bob Casey, who challenged Roe v. Wade all the way to the Supreme Court.

The reputation that came with the Bob Casey name is now turning the senator into a pivotal if reluctant player in one of the most contentious debates in the health care overhaul: how to avoid using taxpayer money for abortion while extending insurance subsidies to millions of Americans. As the only senator committed to remaking health care and opposing abortion, he is the lone senator actively working for a compromise that might defuse the issue, a position that has made him a special target of attacks.