This vote was on an amendment by Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., that would adjust the fiscal 2009 budget resolution to allow for future legislation that would make pregnant women eligible for coverage under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).  The amendment was offered to the budget resolution that serves as the blueprint for Congress’ budget priorities in fiscal 2009. The budget resolution sets overall spending targets for the Appropriations committees and outlines other budget rules.

The SCHIP program – funded primarily through taxes on tobacco products -- helps low income families with children afford health insurance, and currently covers about 6 million kids.

Boxer offered her amendment as a counterpoint to an amendment offered by Wayne Allard, R-Colo., that Boxer said is drafted to encourage SCHIP to recognize an unborn fetus as a person.

“[Allard’s amendment] says that the SCHIP program, our kids health program, should cover children—this is from his amendment—from the moment of conception until 19 years old,” Boxer said.  “I am assuming the idea is to make sure pregnant women are covered. Yet it doesn’t say that. So my [amendment] ide says pregnant women will be covered. That means you don’t get into that whole area of when does life begin and so on.”

Allard said his amendment is just a “truth-in-labeling provision so we have a distinction between child and mother.”

“What the Allard amendment does is redefines the child. The way the law right now reads, a pregnant woman is under the definition of a child. All we do is move the child out from the definition of the pregnant woman and say that the child is in the period from conception to birth, and then the rest of the program,” Allard said.

The amendment was adopted by a vote of 70-27.  Every Democrat voted for the amendment.  Of Democrats present, 21 voted for it and 27 voted against it.  The end result is that the measure went forward with language that would stipulate that pregnant women are eligible for coverage under SCHIP.