Senate Clears Last Hurdle - Final Health Care Vote Christmas Eve

The final procedural vote took place in the Senate Wednesday with a vote of 60-39 clearing the way for a final vote on the health care bill set for Christmas Eve at 7:00 a.m.

While the Senate bill authorizes the spending of federal dollars for elective abortions, the House version does not.  If the Senate approves the measure tomorrow with a simple majority vote, the attention then turns to addressing the differences between the two bills - and the continued push to protect life.

This procedural vote today is the third in three days and sets up the final vote set for Christmas Eve.

The Senate is on the verge of passing a massive health care reform bill - which will fundamentally change 1/6 of our economy - without giving the American people time to review the contents of the bill and express their concerns.  Using the Christmas holiday as cover, the Senate is working to clear the way for passage of an unpopular and dangerous measure that would dramatically change the way health care is delivered in this nation. 

While there are many problems with the bill - including federal funding of abortion - the bill puts the heavy hand of the federal government at the center of what should be private and personal health care decisions.

Early on Saturday morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released yet another version of the health care reform bill.  This bill was written by Democrats only and finalized behind closed doors, making this introduction the first opportunity for Americans to see what was in the final bill.  Because of this, Senate Republicans insisted that the bill be read on the Senate floor.

Seven hours later, the reading was complete and Senator Reid immediately filed a motion to end debate on the measure - before a single word of debate had been uttered.  The first of three procedural votes was scheduled for 1:00 am on Monday - in the middle of the night - giving Senators and the American people just hours to review one of the most expansive and complex bills in history.

The Senate bill is dangerous for a number of reasons:

Government-Run Healthcare While the much-discussed public option has been removed, dont be fooled this legislation still directly inserts the federal government into your health care.  This is accomplished many ways, including through the establishment of a massive national plan that must meet standards set by the federal government.  The bill also authorizes billions of dollars in taxes to pay for government insurance subsidies.  As with any federal program, this is certain to lead to demand outpacing resources, which will necessitate rationing of care, and even denial of care.

Abortion Funding This legislation violates the long-standing policy of prohibiting federal dollars from funding abortion.  Under this bill, millions of federal dollars from taxpayers and participants in the federally subsidized health plans will flow to abortionists for elective abortions.  The accounting schemes in the bill do nothing to change this fact.  While we had hoped that the self-proclaimed pro-life Democrats in the Senate especially Senator Ben Nelson and Senator Bob Casey would stand-up and protect the sanctity of human life, it appears that every Democrat has now accepted the pro-abortion position.

Criminal Penalties Under this bill, the vast majority of Americans will be forced to purchase a certain amount of health insurance coverage.  That's correct - forced to purchase insurance coverage.  The penalty if you don't - the federal government will impose fines.  If fines are not paid, Americans will face the possibility of criminal prosecution.  This far-reaching directive to compel participation in the market presents a number of serious constitutional concerns.  You can read our legal analysis here.

With the final health care vote set for Christmas Eve, we know that there are major differences that need to be addressed between the Senate bill and the House version, which includes pro-life protections.

We will bring you updates as this situation unfolds and we'll bring you the latest on our daily radio broadcast, Jay Sekulow Live!