The NY Times has an interesting piece on the nuns' letter in support of the health care reform. Here are a few nuggets:

It is an utter mystery to me how religious groups that oppose abortion could read the same bill so differently, said Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobbying organization that supports the bill.Sister Simone, who described herself as anti-abortion, said she did not believe that the Senate version of the bill would make abortion more widely available. She did not directly criticize the bishops, but said some people could be motivated by a political loyalty thats outside of caring for the people who live at the margins of health care in society.

I have to admit that I sympathize with Sr. Simone's puzzlement about this whole controversy, and I share her suspicion that some people could be motivated by political loyalties that operate wholly apart from the abortion issue. The kicker in the story was this:

As for Mr. Stupak, he is in a fair bit of trouble with nuns for his remarks [questioning the nuns' influence]. We have a number of nuns in his district, and theyve been calling him, said Sister Regina McKillip, a Dominican nun who lives in Washington. Whos been on the ground, in the field? Who knows the struggles people have to deal with? Its the sisters.