Abortion Ban Dislodges Defense Bill

A legislative logjam on the annual defense spending bill broke late Wednesday as House and Senate negotiators agreed to compromise language restricting abortions at overseas military hospitals.

Although the agreement still requires House and Senate floor votes, the decision by negotiators to settle their dispute signals a belief that the chambers will accept the deal and pass the $243-billion spending bill.

The disagreement pitted conservative Republicans in the House against more moderate Republicans in the Senate over whether to ban abortions at hospitals operated by the U.S. military overseas.

Under the agreement, the 1996 defense appropriation bill would adopt language banning abortions at the hospitals except in cases of rape and incest or to save the life of the mother.

The restrictions, known as the Hyde Amendment for its originator, Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), has been applied often to abortion-related legislation in recent years. The ban would apply to all military health-care facilities. For practical purposes, however, it affects abortions at military hospitals overseas where women may not have access to safe alternatives.