ARIZONA DAILY STAR | Posted: Saturday, March 20, 2010 8:00 pm

By Rhonda Bodfield

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will vote for the health-care reform bill.

Ending weeks of speculation about whether she will vote for the measure, Giffords said in a prepared statement Saturday that a vote in support “fundamentally is the right thing to do.”

Among the benefits of the legislation, she noted, children with pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied coverage, children can stay on their parents’ insurance plan until they turn 26 and small businesses will receive tax credits to purchase health insurance for employees.

“As a member of the fiscally responsible Blue Dog coalition, I am very pleased that this legislation is fully paid for and will reduce our budget deficit by $138 billion over the next decade.”

She said she would not support a radical government takeover of health care, the public funding of abortions or the dismantling of private insurance.

The legislation does not contain those elements, she said. “But the American people are being made to suffer through millions of dollars of corporate-sponsored distortions intended to scare the public and obstruct the progress of reforms.”

Although she’s been clear all along that she supports health-care reform — and voted for the original House measure — Giffords had been reluctant to commit to a vote for the plan if it negatively impacted the state budget.

Her spokesman, C.J. Karamargin, said those concerns have been sufficiently addressed.

Giffords noted that her vote will not satisfy those who remain opposed. “As we approach this vote, I am acutely aware of the lobbying groups that do not support these reforms,” she wrote. “What they cannot spin is who I am or the values that guide my decisions.”