Monday, November 9, 2009

The Stupak Amendment - Democrats' Disappointing Compromise

So the House of Representatives passed their health care reform bill. Why am I not more excited? Because of the Stupak Amendment. The Stupak Amendment takes the current law that prohibits federal funding for abortion and takes it a huge step further - prohibiting federal funds from being used for abortion services in any health exchange be it public or private.
According the National Organization for Women's (NOW) statement:
The Stupak Amendment goes far beyond the abusive Hyde Amendment, which has denied federal funding of abortion since 1976. The Stupak Amendment, if incorporated into the final version of health insurance reform legislation, will:

o Prevent women receiving tax subsidies from using their own money to purchase private insurance that covers abortion;
o Prevent women participating in the public health insurance exchange, administered by private insurance companies, from using 100 percent of their own money to purchase private insurance that covers abortion;
o Prevent low-income women from accessing abortion entirely, in many cases.
I continue to be amazed at what the Democrats are willing to give up in the quest to be bi-partisan. They seem to be forgetting that the reason there is an overwhelming Democratic majority in the House, that there is a 60-vote, filibuster-proof Democratic super-majority in the Senate, that there is a Democrat in the White House is because We the People voted for them to be there based on the Democratic Party platform (see p. 50 re: opposing any effort to weaken or undermine the right to choose a safe and legal abortion regardless of ability to pay) and based on what they told us they stand for. The majority of the American people want Health Care Reform with a public option. The majority of American people (78%) believe abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances. Get a spine and stand up for what We the People that you represent believe in!

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