An abortion-related provision added to the House health-care bill over the weekend has roused Iowans on both sides of the controversial issue and placed yet another obstacle to passing a reform package.

The provision, written by a Michigan Democrat, would prohibit a government-run insurance plan from covering abortion. It also would prevent individuals who get health insurance tax credits from purchasing policies that cover abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or if a woman’s life were in danger.

The provision does allow people to purchase supplemental coverage separately with their own funds.

The provision, backed by all the House Republicans and 64 Democrats, has galvanized abortion-rights activists and abortion providers.

Planned Parenthood of Iowa President Jill June said Tuesday the bill would demand women buy insurance, but deny them the access to the kind of coverage they get now.

“It would force women, whether they’re subsidized or not, to find health insurance outside the exchange, outside their plan, and they’re not going to be able to do that,” she said.

She rejected the idea of buying supplemental policies, saying they aren’t available.

Forty percent of women who get abortions in Iowa have private insurance coverage, June said.

Kent Ferris, social action director for the Diocese of Davenport, said the stance of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is that reform should not expand funding for abortions, should provide affordable coverage and not require a five-year waiting period for documented immigrants.

Leaders were pleased with the abortion-related amendment, a statement from the Conference of Bishops said.

Parishioners can expect more information soon, Ferris said, encouraging them to contact legislators to continue expressing their views. The message will be that “you did a great job the last time of informing our officials, be prepared to do so again,” Ferris said.

Anti-abortion advocates recognize that although they won a battle over the weekend, “the war is not over,” said Roger Mall, legislative coordinator for the Quad-City Right To Life.

The abortion language puts congressional Democrats in a particularly tough spot.

Abortion-rights forces are political allies, but because Republicans are mostly against the health-care proposals, every Democratic vote is pivotal.

The new language has upset more than 40 members of the House’s pro-choice caucus to the point that they wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying they won’t vote for a final package unless the language is removed.

Democrats representing the Quad-Cities support abortion rights, but they haven’t gone that far.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, objected to the House provision, saying Tuesday it would roll back current federal policy toward abortion. But he added, “I’m not drawing lines.”

Harkin said he doesn’t think the Senate will need to go as far as the House to lure moderate Democrats.

“People will jockey for position, and they’ll try to get things done, but in the end, we’ll have the votes,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, said Monday, “you can’t just carve out single issues and say this is going to be a deal-breaker for me.”

Braley voted against adding the abortion language but backed the overall bill on final passage Saturday.

Rep. Phil Hare, D-Ill., took the same position. He also is not demanding that the abortion provision be removed in exchange for his vote, his spokesman said.

June said abortion-rights advocates will lobby legislators, but she didn’t go so far as to say they would demand they vote against a final bill if the amendment stands.

“We are asking our representatives to stand up for women and find the way to thread this needle so health-care reform can be passed that does not take women back in history,” she said.