Mediaboss Marketing

Vice President Mike Pence pitched the group on some of the bill's restrictions on abortion. | Getty

Vice President Mike Pence appealed to prominent anti-abortion lawmakers on Monday night to support the House Obamacare replacement bill, touting pro-life provisions in the bill as a reason to vote "yes."

During a White House meeting with the GOP leaders of the congressional pro-life caucus, Pence pitched the group on some of the bill's restrictions on abortion, including one major change to the bill expected to be announced Monday that pro-lifers say is essential to their support.

Story Continued Below

His arguments, as well as the recent change to the bill, convinced some members like Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) to support the bill. But others in the meeting, like House Freedom Caucus member Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), have yet to commit.

I havent said how Im going to vote one way or another; Ive just said the way to get me to yes is to assuage any concerns I have on pro-life provisions being eliminated in the Senate, Franks said, referring to a concern that the Senate parliamentarian will strike the language in the other chamber. Its a huge issue one of the main concerns I have is to make sure we dont lose the pro-life provisions in the senate.

Pence, a social conservative, is know among the House rank-and-file for his strong anti-abortion views. It's one of the reasons, in fact, that members like Franks admire him so much, something Franks reaffirmed Monday after the meeting even if he has not yet backed the bill.

A daily report on the intersection of health care and technology in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Hartzler told POLITICO she changed her vote to yes this weekend upon learning the latest on anti-abortion changes to the bill, which essentially ensure health care tax credits cannot be used for plans that cover abortions.

I did share that as of this weekend I have decided to support it after I got some assurances from some pro-life provisions and other aspects being addressed, she said. We were there to appreciate his efforts to ensure the bill remains pro-life, so we had a good discussion about that.

The meeting come just a few days after the National Right to Life announced that it was not only supporting the bill but would key vote it. The significance of that full-throated endorsement cannot be understated, as it carries a lot of weight with House Republicans, including Franks.

Continued here:
Pence woos conservatives with anti-abortion adds to Obamacare repeal - Politico