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Obama asks House to vote on health care bill
President Barack Obama summoned Democrats to "answer the call of history" Saturday as the House pushed toward a vote on a landmark health care bill holding out the promise of coverage for tens of millions who lack it.
After months of struggle capped by a final wrenching compromise over abortion, Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted, "we will pass health care reform," and likened the events to the creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later.
Across hours of debate, minority Republicans cataloged their criticism of the 1,990-page, $1.2 trillion measure. "The American people need to understand this is about a government takeover of the whole health care system," said Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga.
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House votes strict ban on abortion subsidies
A bipartisan House coalition voted Saturday to prohibit coverage of abortions in a new government-run health care plan that Democrats would establish to compete with private insurers.
The 240-194 vote on an amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., was a blow to liberals, who would have allowed the Obama administration and its successors to decide whether abortions would be covered by the government plan. Sixty-four Democrats joined 176 Republicans in favor of the prohibition.
Stupak's measure also would bar anyone getting federal health subsidies from purchasing private insurance polices that included abortion coverage.
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House passes historic health-care overhaul bill after day of wrangling
The House of Representatives Saturday passed, by a 220-215 vote, historic health-care overhaul legislation that would require virtually all Americans to obtain health insurance and create a government-run health insurance plan to help them do so.
If passed by the Senate, the bill would bring about the most sweeping changes in the American health care system since Medicare was created 44 years ago.
Supporters of the measure burst into cheers and applause on the House floor as it became clear the measure had won, but the vote was excruciatingly close, just two more than the bare minimum needed. One Republican, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted for the bill; 39 Democrats voted against.
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US responds to man accused in abortion doc threat
Federal prosecutors say statements from a Washington man accused of threatening a Colorado abortion doctor's family should be admitted in court.
Donald Hertz of Spokane has said authorities didn't read him his constitutional rights before questioning him and that his statements aren't admissible.
He is accused of calling the Boulder Abortion Clinic in June and threatening to kill Dr. Warren Hern's family. Hertz faces charges of making an interstate threat and of violating a law protecting access to reproductive health services.
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Man confesses to shooting Kan. abortion provider
Defiant and unapologetic, a man accused of shooting a Kansas abortion provider confessed to the slaying Monday, telling The Associated Press that he killed the doctor to protect unborn children.
Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., spoke to the AP in a telephone call from jail, saying he plans to argue at his trial that he was justified in shooting Dr. George Tiller at the abortion provider's Wichita church in May.
"Because of the fact preborn children's lives were in imminent danger this was the action I chose. ... I want to make sure that the focus is, of course, obviously on the preborn children and the necessity to defend them," Roeder said.
The pastor of Modesto's St. Joseph's Catholic Church wants to make this clear: He never told his parishioners that if they voted for President-elect Barack Obama, they needed to go to confession.
The Rev. Joseph Illo interrupted his homily on the first Sunday in Advent to clarify his position, outlined in a Nov. 21 letter sent to 15,000 members of the St. Joseph's parish and picked up by news media around the world.
That letter told parishioners that if they were clear on Obama's position on abortion and "knew the gravity of the question, I urge you to go to confession before receiving communion."
On Sunday, Illo told parishioners that "I have to speak to the attention my little letter to you has gotten."
Illo said he has received phone calls and e-mails from people on the East Coast and even from a man in Japan. Television and radio stations have called for comment, including one San Francisco radio station that asked him to answer comments from listeners between the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services.
"This is a serious issue," he said from the pulpit Sunday to a standing-room-only crowd. "But it's not about whom you vote for as much as it is what you vote for. We as Catholics have the duty to protect the rights of all people. We have a precious opportunity as Catholics and Christians to promote a culture of life."
The Catholic Church considers abortion to be immoral. Obama is an abortion-rights supporter.
So if parishioners intentionally had supported any candidate with an abortion-rights stance -- not just Obama -- that attitude is what Illo said "may" need confessing.
After the service, his parishioners stood in a long line to greet him and utter words of support.
One woman said the parish is behind Illo "100%" and a man thanked him for having the "courage to stand."
Later, Illo said in an interview that he considers Obama a "tremendously gifted man" and supports every good thing Obama will do for the country.
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