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<p>“No, I don’t regret the vote. I’m proud of the vote. I always felt that health care should be a right, not a privilege in this country - one of the reasons why I ran for Congress. I’m glad to have helped accomplish that goal,” Stupak said.</p>

Consider this a quick follow-up to my earlier post on the National Journal “primer” on the HHS contraception mandate. A day or so ago, the one man who might have stopped ObamaCare at the final hour now says he got shafted. Bart Stupak had held out for statutory prohibitions on abortion funding through ObamaCare but settled instead for an ambiguous executive order — and saw his political career crash to an end. Now he’s unhappy because his fellow Democrats promised him they’d respect conscience objections: Today, as a private citizen, I’m proud to stand with the Green and Hahn families...

Bart Stupak was a vital swing vote in the Obamacare debate 2 years ago. As a pro-life Democrat he could not support Obama’s signature initiative without some assurance that abortion would not be covered by the monstrous healthcare overhaul. Following an Executive Order signed by President Obama that supposedly ensured that abortion would not be covered, Stupak declared victory for the pro-life movement. This in spite of the fact that many had said the Executive Order was toothless and would not prevent anything. It seems Mr. Stupak has finally realized this.

Remember Congressman Bart Stupak? He of the staunch pro-life persuasion, who nonetheless gave the Obama administration an out in 2010 with his willingness to provide the final votes in the House to push Obamacare over the top? He exchanged those votes for an executive order—that from the very beginning obviously was going to be thrown in the figurative dumpster as soon as doing so proved convenient for Mr. Obama—to the effect that no taxpayer dollars or individual premiums were to be used for abortion services. In the wake of the administration’s decision to force Catholic and other institutions to cover...

Former Congressman Bart Stupak, the architect of the sellout of Obamacare that saw a handful of pro-life Democrats cave on opposition to the bill over its abortion funding loopholes, is now a lobbyist.Stupak decided not to run for re-election to his Michigan congressional seat after facing intense criticism for enabling the passage of the biggest expansion of abortion funding since Roe and allowing to become law a bill that presented pro-life groups with conscience concerns and worries about rationing. Pro-life Republican Dan Benishek won the race to replace him. Now, Stupak will become a partner for Venable LLP, a K-street...

The canvassing process in Michigan’s 1st district, where there is a recount needed to sort out the winner of Tuesday’s Republican primary, may start moving faster. After the initial unofficial vote count, surgeon Dan Benishek was just one vote ahead of state Sen. Jason Allen in the northern Michigan district currently represented by retiring Rep. Bart Stupak (D). The count: 27,091 to 27,090. The winner will face state Rep. Gary McDowell (D) in what is expected to be a very competitive race in November. Here’s what happens next. Michigan law gives county election boards 14 days to certify results —...

Michigan held its primaries yesterday, and one Congressional seat in particular turned into a nailbiter for the Republicans. Bart Stupak (D) retired after managing to anger everyone in his district by flip-flopping on ObamaCare and abortion, and the GOP hoped to turn this R+3 district into a pickup. Unfortunately for the GOP, the race turned into a dead heat, for practical purposes (h/t HipEChik on Twitter): Crystal Falls physician Dan Benishek held a paper-thin lead early today over state Sen. Jason Allen in the Republican nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District.With 99 percent...

The Obama administration is giving the state of Pennsylvania $160 million from taxpayers to fund a "high-risk" insurance program to "cover any abortion that is legal in Pennsylvania." Rep. Bart Stupak's Abortion by Executive Order is off to a galloping start, and warmly embraced by the state of Pennsylvania. Remember Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mich-1st) who eventually found it more soothing to his soul to overlook abortions, in exchange for $578 million in earmarks, and another $727,000 for airports in his home district - the day after his 'yea' vote for ObamaCare? Congressman, how's your "moral principle" doing this morning?

Many Americans put so much trust in Rep. Bart Stupak and the other Democrats who stood with him when they promised that they would stand firm--no matter what--to insure there would be NO taxpayer funded abortion. Mr. Stupak even tried to sell us on the ever so precious "executive order." We Americans may be temporarily blinded by the little flashes of light in Washington, DC, but we are not stupid. We all know an executive order is practically worthless. Stupak's vote--a switch from NO to YES is unfortunately proof that he was and is without backbone. At one time, I...

Stupak Now Understands: Votes Have Consequences WASHINGTON - In response to the announcement by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) that he will not run for reelection in November, the Susan B. Anthony List released the following statement: "It is unfortunate that, after years of pro-life leadership, Rep. Stupak caved during the final hours of the healthcare debate and voted to fund abortions with taxpayer dollars," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony List. "With our latest grassroots campaign we criticized his decision to do so and announced our commitment to find a true pro-life member to represent his district....

Rep. Bart Stupak's announcement today that he will not seek re-election is no big surprise. The Michigan Democrat dug himself into a deep political hole and and couldn't climb out of it. Mr. Stupak repeatedly vowed that he would never vote for government-funded abortion. When he sold out that principle, the whole country - including his vast rural district - knew he singlehandedly pushed Obamacare over the top for passage. Mr. Stupak first claimed he wasn't violating his pro-life pledge because of an executive order President Obama said he'd sign to maintain the Hyde Amendment, which forbids public funding when...

Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, the congressman who led anti-abortion rights Democrats in the House during health care negotiations, will retire this year, CBS News has learned. He is expected to announce his plans later this morning. Had Stupak sought re-election, he would have faced challengers from both the left and the right backed by interest groups angered by Stupak's health care vote. Stupak negotiated with Democratic leaders down to the eleventh hour for stricter abortion language in the health care bill, but he ultimately voted for it after President Obama agreed to sign an executive order assuring the new laws...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Congressman Bart Stupak today walked back previous comments suggesting he would retire due to the enormous backlash he's faced as a result of providing the critical votes needed to pass the pro-abortion health care bill. Stupak now says it is very likely that he will seek re-election in his Michigan district. Stupak told the Detroit Free Press he has every intention of running again but won't make a final decision until after he has an obligatory discussion with his family. Any decision, he said, would come after the April 15 deadline by which his opponents would...

We reported in First Thoughts this morning that Bart Stupak is thinking about not running for re-election. And now Tea Party Express is going on air against him. The ad asserts that Stupak "betrayed our Constitution. You sold us out on the health-care vote. And now it's time for you to pay the political price." Tea Party Express says it "is part of a $250,000 campaign by the Tea Party Express to defeat Congressman Stupak." Here's the full script: "Congressman Bart Stupak, you betrayed our Constitution. You sold us out on the health-care vote. And now it's time for you...

NBC’s political hotsheet, First Read, is reporting that Rep. Bart Stupak, who delivered the crucial votes to pass the pro-abortion Senate healthcare bill, is considering retirement.

"A nation that kills its own children is a nation without hope." - Pope John Paul II --------------------------------------------------------- It is sadly fitting that in preparation for Holy Week, our country has passed a bill which funds the persecution of innocent life. President Obama strategically used 104 Catholic congressmen to give me, a physician, expanded government resources to legally kill patients in order to provide better health care. "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger ..., and not minister to your needs?" He will answer them, "Amen, I say to you, what you did not do...

Dan Benishek, a 57-year-old surgeon, is considered a rising political force who got a campaign boost when Bart Stupak voted for the Obama Health Care Reform.

Since the health care reform push hit its final stretch, numerous sweeteners for lawmakers' districts and states have been found inside the package. Earmark requests are made outside of the health care bill, making them a bit more difficult to link to any vote-trading. But it is precisely that kind of tricky-to-catch deal-making that Republican Sen. Tom Coburn said he and other GOP senators would be monitoring for months to come. "If you think you can cut a deal now and it not come out until after the election, I want to tell you that isn't going to happen," Coburn...

This time last week, Representative Bart Stupak (D – Michigan) was the hero of social conservatives who were anxious to secure binding language banning federal funding of abortion in the health care legislation. Stupak’s resolve in the face of immense party pressure was commendable – a testament to his unwavering commitment to protecting the unborn despite the political risks. We at the Center for a Just Society shared in Rep. Stupak’s disappointment with those in his party who promoted federally-funded abortion as a means of cutting health care costs. Not surprisingly, Rep. Stupak’s 11th-hour change of heart and subsequent...

Why I Wrote The 'Stupak Amendment' And Voted For Health-Care Reform By Bart Stupak March 27, 2010 When I saw that Kathleen Parker's March 24 op-ed, "Stupak's original sin," defined me as a "backstabber," it reminded me of a Bible verse. Matthew 7:3 asks, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" The true motives of many blogs and organizations claiming to be pro-life have become clear in recent days: to politicize life issues as a means to defeat health care reform. One group...