Last week, in a calculated political move to retain control of the House, the Obama Administration imposed a total ban on abortions for women being covered by temporary Pre-existing Condition insurance plans, otherwise known as high risk pools.

High risk pools provide temporary coverage for people who can't currently get health insurance because of a preexisting condition (in 2014, they'll be eligible for health insurance as the expansion program is rolled out). Women covered by these high risk pools have, by definition, medical conditions so serious that companies are unwilling to insure them. So... if these women get pregnant, there's a greater risk that they'll need an abortion for health reasons, which is why New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Maryland's temporary coverage would've potentially allowed for that option. But then the Obama Administration came in and said, nope! No coverage for you!

Via the Seattle Times:

Trying to head off more problems, the Health and Human Services Department announced last week the program will not cover abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is in danger - exceptions traditionally allowed under federal law.

That's a more restrictive policy than will be generally applied under Obama's new health care law.

And why, you ask?

The turnabout comes amid growing recognition among Democrats that the nation's unsettled political climate could cost them control of the House in the fall elections. The health care law remains a powerful motivator for opponents of Obama's policies, and no issue stirs deeper passions than abortion.

So right now—and for the next four years—women with serious medical conditions will be denied the comprehensive coverage they might need if they experience a complicated pregnancy. I understand the politics at work here, but on a gut level—on a humane level—I wish that sacrificing women's health didn't translate into more votes for democrats.