House OKs bill barring federal funds for abortion

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The House has voted to bar federal subsidies to Americans signing up for insurance plans under President Barack Obama's health care law if the policies cover abortion.

The vote was 227-188 on Tuesday. The bill stands no chance in the Democratic-led Senate and the White House has threatened a veto in any event.

Majority Republicans in the House insisted that the measure was necessary to permanently bar any taxpayer dollars for abortion as implementation of the 4-year-old law moves ahead.

Decades-old policy under the Hyde amendment bans federal tax dollars for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

Democrats countered that the legislation was another salvo in the GOP's "war on women," designed to chip away at reproductive rights.