Health Care Overhaul Fight Exposes Catholic Rift

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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/19/us/AP-US-Catholics-Health-Care.html

An unusual public split between U.S. Roman Catholic bishops, nuns and hospitals over abortion in the health care overhaul could undermine the church hierarchy's influence on the debate and give anti-abortion Democrats the political cover they need to vote for the bill.

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which opposes the Senate bill up for a House vote this weekend, warned that some forces are trying to use the rift to push the legislation through Congress.

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That unusual break with the hierarchy is influencing at least one anti-abortion House Democrat.

''You've had Catholic hospitals ... a group of Catholic nuns ... I am almost there'' on supporting the Senate bill's provision on abortion, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas said Friday. Cuellar is a Catholic who voted for an earlier House bill with tougher abortion funding prohibitions the bishops backed.

Rep. Tim Ryan, an anti-abortion Democrat from Ohio, said through a spokesman that he, too, is siding with the nuns and hospitals and will vote for the bill.