Stupak Agreement Makes Passage All But Certain

President Obama will sign an executive order forbidding the use of federal funding for abortion, and Bart Stupak and his anti-abortion allies will vote to pass health care reform, the Michigan Democrat announced this afternoon. The shift means the measure is almost certain to pass when it's voted on tonight. Stupak insisted that he supported reform, but "there was a principle that meant more to use than anything, and that was the sanctity of life," reports Talking Points Memo.

"While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced," the White House said in a statement. "The President has said from the start that this health insurance reform should not be the forum to upset longstanding precedent."
(More Bart Stupak stories.)