1.   Women at risk of becoming pregnant were accepted only if they undertook to use effective contraceptive measures.

2.   Abortion opponents promised that any time the pill bill came up, they would try to add a partial-birth amendment, effectively sabotaging the contraceptive measure.

3.   But in an effort to placate conservatives and pass the overall bill, Republican leaders dropped the contraceptive measure at the last minute.

4.   Now they plan to toss it into the omnibus package, without the contraceptive measure.

5.   The contraceptive measure is one of four related matters that have helped stall four spending bills.

6.   The House and Senate approved the contraceptive measure earlier this year.