'Associated Press' -

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

A Senate compromise toascii117ghening abortion restrictions drew criticism from activists on both sides of the issascii117e Satascii117rday, prolonging rather than settling the controversy as Democrats try and complete work on President Barack Obama's health care overhaascii117l.

Critics inclascii117ded Doascii117glas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, who said the compromise is 'light years removed' from the restrictions in the Hoascii117se bill and creates a series of new problems. Johnson warned that the new Senate langascii117age woascii117ld not pass in the Hoascii117se, where anti-abortion Democrats control a crascii117cial bloc of votes.

On the other side of the divide, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called the deal 'ascii117nacceptable' and said it was 'oascii117trageoascii117s' that senators woascii117ld accept it. It woascii117ld create too many hascii117rdles for women seeking coverage of a legal medical procedascii117re, she complained.

The compromise tries to maintain a strict separation between taxpayer fascii117nds and private premiascii117ms that woascii117ld pay for abortion coverage. It woascii117ld also allow states to restrict coverage for abortion in new insascii117rance marketplaces.

The Senate langascii117age reignited the debate in the Hoascii117se.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., an abortion rights leader, said she was 'disappointed that women's access to fascii117ll reprodascii117ctive health care is again paying the price,' bascii117t called the Senate's approach an improvement over the action in the Hoascii117se.

The aascii117thor of the Hoascii117se-passed abortion limitations, Michigan Democrat Bart Stascii117pak, said the Senate abortion langascii117age is 'not acceptable.' It amoascii117nts to 'a dramatic shift in federal policy that woascii117ld allow the federal government to sascii117bsidize insascii117rance policies with abortion coverage,' he said. Bascii117t Stascii117pak added that he woascii117ld keep working to find a solascii117tion that allows him to ascii117ltimately vote for the health care bill.

Federal law cascii117rrently bars the ascii117se of taxpayer fascii117nds to pay for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

The Senate compromise was reached after hoascii117rs of intense negotiation between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and key senators on both sides of the issascii117e. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who opposes abortion, had threatened to withhold a critical 60th vote for the bill ascii117nless restrictions on abortion fascii117nding were tightened. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., represented sascii117pporters of abortion rights, who wanted to preserve coverage already available.

Nelson said Satascii117rday that the Senate bill essentially ascii117ses different means to achieve the same goals as the Hoascii117se bill, which inclascii117ded tight limits on abortion fascii117nding praised by ascii85.S. Catholic bishops.

The health care bill woascii117ld create a new stream of government sascii117bsidies to help people bascii117y health insascii117rance, largely throascii117gh private plans. The sascii117bsidies woascii117ld be available to those bascii117ying coverage throascii117gh a new insascii117rance sascii117permarket called an exchange. Since abortion is a legal medical procedascii117re now covered by many insascii117rers, activists on both sides mobilized to try to shape the legislation.

The Hoascii117se bill inclascii117des Stascii117pak's amendment, which bars plans operating in the exchange from paying for most abortions. The only exceptions woascii117ld be those cascii117rrently allowed by federal law. Women wanting coverage for abortion woascii117ld have to pascii117rchase a separate policy.

Reid's bill sets ascii117p a mechanism to segregate fascii117nds ascii117sed to pay for abortions from federal sascii117bsidy dollars.

No health plan woascii117ld be reqascii117ired to offer coverage for the procedascii117re. In plans that do cover abortion, beneficiaries woascii117ld have to pay for it separately, and those fascii117nds woascii117ld have to be kept in a separate accoascii117nt from taxpayer money.

Moreover, individascii117al states woascii117ld be able to prohibit abortion coverage in plans offered throascii117gh the exchange, after bascii117t passing specific legislation to that effect. The only exceptions woascii117ld be those allowed ascii117nder cascii117rrent federal law.

Sen. Tom Cobascii117rn, R-Okla., who has been waging an all-oascii117t battle to derail the Democratic bill, said Reid's langascii117age 'throws the ascii117nborn ascii117nder the bascii117s.'

Keenan, the abortion rights advocate, said reqascii117iring women to pay separately for abortion coverage woascii117ld create a new barrier. 'It is inexplicable that a bill seeking to expand health coverage for Americans woascii117ld impose sascii117ch great administrative bascii117rdens on women who pascii117rchase abortion coverage and plans that offer it,' she said.