Pelosi Will Allow Vote on Anti-Abortion Amendment This Morning. Call Your Critter Now!
The way I feel about this is probably akin to how Thomas Jefferson felt when the anti-slavery clause was stricken from the Declaration of Independence in order to get enough votes to pass.
Stupak probably doesn't have the votes will be joined by the Republicans and will probably get his amendment passed. Again, I ask: Why does someone's personal religious beliefs get to infringe on mine or anyone else's rights? Abortion is legal, in case anyone forgot.
WASHINGTON — The House opened debate on its health-care bill Saturday after Democratic leaders agreed to allow a vote on an amendment from antiabortion Democrats.
The agreement early Saturday could break a stalemate over abortion that was threatening the bill's prospects.
If the House approves the bill, it would be the first time a chamber of Congress has passed legislation aimed at guaranteeing near-universal access to health care.
A final vote on the health measure could come late Saturday or early Sunday morning. House Democratic leaders were still scrambling to come up with the 218 votes needed to pass the bill, and aides predicted the vote would be a cliffhanger.
[...] Abortion has divided Democrats, with antiabortion lawmakers saying they couldn't allow any federal funding of abortion under the new health-insurance exchanges the bill would establish.
Rep. Bart Stupak, an antiabortion Democrat from Michigan, explained his amendment before the House Rules Committee just after midnight Saturday. He said it provides that federal subsidies cannot be used to purchase a health plan including coverage for abortions other than in cases of rape or incest.
The amendment from Mr. Stupak and Rep. Joseph Pitts (R., Pa.) is set to come before the full House for a vote later Saturday.
The concession to allow a vote is significant because House Democrats aren't allowing votes on any other substantive amendments, save one Republican amendment that is an alternative to the Democrats' plan.
Here's what the amendment does, as USAToday noted:
Nearly 90% of private health insurance policies now offer abortion coverage, and almost half of women with private insurance have it. But women covered under the new system would have to find supplemental insurance or pay out of pocket for an unanticipated procedure that can cost from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on complexity. For anyone unable to afford it, this would amount to a de facto ban.
But here's the catch: The bill makes it so financially unattractive for insurance companies to offer abortion coverage - even if you pay for the insurance yourself - that they're likely to stop offering it except to the largest groups. Got it? This is not a minor amendment.
And unless it's rejected by the Senate or in conference, women have once again been stripped of the ability to get abortions.
Time to hit the phones. Got this today from a Hill source:
Leans pro-choice but needs shoring up
Arcuri (D, NY-24)
Bean (D, IL-08)
Bishop, S. (D, GA-02)
Boswell (D, IA-03)
Butterfield (D, NC-01)
Cardoza (D, CA-18)
Chandler (D, KY-06)
Cooper (D, TN-05)
Costa (D, CA-20)
Doyle (D, PA-14)
Edwards, C. (D, TX-17)
Etheridge (D, NC-02)
Gordon (D, TN-06)
Kratovil (D, MD-01)
Langevin (D, RI-02)
McMahon (D, NY-13)
Michaud (D, ME-02)
Minnick (D, ID-01)
Neal (D, MA-02)
Nye (D, VA-02)
Obey (D, WI-07)
Owens (D, NY-23)
Ruppersberger (D, MD-02)
Ryan, T. (D, OH-17)
Salazar (D, CO-03)
Space (D, OH-18)
Unknown
Biggert (R, IL-13)
Carney (D, PA-10)
Castle (R, DE-AL)
Cuellar (D, TX-28)
Davis, A. (D, AL-07)
Dent (R, PA-15)
Ellsworth (D, IN-08)
Frelinghuysen (R, NJ-11)
Kirk (R, IL-10)
Lynch (D, MA-09)
Pomeroy (D, ND-AL)
Snyder (D, AR-02)
Tanner (D, TN-08)
Visclosky (D, IN-01)
Leaning anti-choice
Altmire (D, PA-04)
Barrow (D, GA-12)
Berry (D, AR-01)
Boccieri (D, OH-16)
Bright (D, AL-02)
Capito (R, WV-02)
Donnelly (D, IN-02)
Hill (D, IN-09)
Jenkins (R, KS-02)
Kildee (D, MI-05)
Lance (R, NJ-07)
Lee, C. (R, NY-26)
Matheson (D, UT-02)
Mollohan (D, WV-01)
Ortiz (D, TX-27)
Paulsen (R, MN-03)
Perriello (D, VA-05)
Rahall (D, WV-03)
Ross (D, AR-04)
Spratt (D, SC-05)
Wilson, C. (D, OH-06)
toward putting women 'back in their place' if this amendment passes. Disgusting and reprehensible - women (mostly the poor ones) should not be forced to bear children against their will!!!
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
...find someone willing to do an abortion, and ante up the money.
"Courtesy is owed. Respect is earned. Love is given." --Unknown author, found in Guide to Texas Etiquette by Kinky Friedman
maybe it's time to take all these
asshole white guys and give them
all a uterus attached to their rectums.
maybe they would be more considerate
when this has happened.
or maybe they could be forced into having
extensive female hormone injections for a
couple of years......when the imbalance
of their systems begins, then maybe and just
maybe they would be more sympathetic of women.
the entire gop and the fucking blue-dog dems
are just a bunch of egocentric misogynists.
are trying to block the bill again.
Pelosi stones votes for allowing states to adopt single payer health care or even a moderate public option...but allows antiabortion/anti-reproductive choice Dems plenty of time on their amendment.
Gee...I wonder what she got under the table from Big Insura...and I'm not talking about $$$ either.
Anyone wants to bet that the Repubs break ranks and support this amendment, just to allow it to pass??
Anthony
If this amendment passes, and Obama gives his support to the bill with this amendment, then he and the Democrats are DONE. After everyone else he and they have thrown under the bus, that he would be willing to sacrifice women as well is the final straw.
I'm officially now a Teabagger (at least, one on the Left, anyway). KILL THIS BILL!!!!
(And start fresh next year with single payer as the foundation.)
Anthony
Who voted for these people?
For some reason I had this vague memory of Democratic Reps being elected by Democratic voters. But that can't be true, they must have won with Republican voters supporting them or something. Otherwise the last three years of Democratic congressional leadership and the past year of the Democratic administration would just be absurd.
Hopefully humanity will one day learn to be humane.
With a REAL political movement.....a new party with single payer as its central platform. Maybe we can get the Green Party to adopt this.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22886...
Corruption favors the wealthy.
No MSNBC here at my motel.
Plus I can now watch at the bar; I'm sooo much fun...
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
I'm saving my liver for tomorrow morning. Go Bears.
Corruption favors the wealthy.
For some it'll be a case of "pay or die."
It's funny how the free market works just fine for everything except women. Their evil woman-parts must be ruled with an iron fist!!!
Hopefully humanity will one day learn to be humane.
Her staff said "we don't see the amendment passing" and wouldn't confirm a vote for or against if the amendment does pass, thought she seemed to imply Eshoo will vote for the bill with or without the amendment in it.
.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
is really starting to irritate me. What to the Dems have to gain by making legal abortion impossible? What do they really have to loose if they support it?
Are they totally ignorant of their constituent's wishes, or just indifferent?
Obviously the 'Thug word-of-the-day.
rush is sooo creative.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
and government control.
It's time to abort the whole bill. Call your rep to vote against the whole thing. Sorry. It's too much money for next to nothing....plus some women will lose the family planning services they already have? No thank you. Kill this bill.
They don't want to hear from us. I wonder, if religious groups and Righty wingnuts have donated more money to NRAL and Planned Parenthood than liberal groups. That could explain their non-action, tho not excuse it.
There are that many insurance agents?
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
they are regressives.
No pay and you go to jail.
The Pelosi Public Option
. .
This issue should not even be an issue. It is the constitutional right of any woman to seek this medical procedure. The US government has spoken on this (via the SCOTUS) and the law is clear. If there is to be any government subsidized medical coverage, there is no way the government can legally deny coverages for procedures just to satisfy the moral or ideological beliefs of a subset of the population, especially a religion.
So if the final bill denies coverage, then Planned Parenthood or the ACLU should immediately sue and make the courts rull on this. To me (and I am not a lawyer) it seems like a no brainer. But Henry Hyde was a bad infection this country once had, and the scars he left remain. I guess my interpretation of the separation of church and state is radicallly different from...
" House leaders have won the backing of the nation’s Catholic bishops for a last-minute abortion compromise, a critical boost that could give the health reform bill enough momentum – and enough votes – for passage as early as Saturday."
WTF! "won the backing..."? Who cares what those perverts want? This is a government issue. Why are they even in the discussion?
The people of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." J.K. Galbraith
that helps how she ever sold herself as a Liberal when she first got into politics is a marketing triumph in itself.
this shouldn't even be an issue............abortion is LEGAL in this country.........I'm wondering just how much longer the women in this country are going to put up with the "wishes of the catholic bishops".......it is pure insanity and an insult to every woman in this country!! Why is it always the old men who want to control the bodies of women?? Too bad the "bishops" weren't as concerned with their pedophile priests!!!
More concessions to a party that will still vote against you.
I don't think I'm going to be a Democrat for much longer.
We Democrats give the bully our lunch money every week. This is just plain wrong. I'm changing my registration to Independent. I will still vote to stop the GOP, but I will not associate myself with a party that caves to a bully minority.
this isn't put up to a national referendum as done at the state and local levels of government. Instead we have to depend on our ever-scheming, elected "reps" to do the right thing. In most cases they are hammering out legislation for their benefit and to hell with the rest of America.
from huffpost:
She [pelosi] also said that she had yet to decide whether to allow a vote on a separate amendment from Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) that would replace the entire health care bill with a single-payer system.
i guess pelosi decided not to allow that vote...
The concession to allow a vote is significant because House Democrats aren't allowing votes on any other substantive amendments, save one Republican amendment that is an alternative to the Democrats' plan
the democratic speaker of the house will allow a vote on an effective ban on abortion, but refuses to allow a vote on a single-payer system.
remind me, why vote democratic, i forget?
Since the Bush Coup of 2000 these idiots have done as much damage if not more at this point then Bush did. Letting Bush Co get away with everything and now continuing with many of his policy's forget it.
Did anyone read this at CD?
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/11/06-8
I understand DK's/Conyers' decision. At this point things are so fucked up I'm struggling to keep up with the process, so I'm running on faith. My congressman is Issa so I'm not represented in the current debate anyway.
I wonder what Grayson's agenda is today?
The people of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." J.K. Galbraith
Jim Jeffords made.
These sons of bitches are against abortion and do everything they can to make it impossible to get until their mistress needs one. Then an abortion fits right into their belief system.
They have the cash for the private care.
The people of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." J.K. Galbraith
Abortions, like transfusions, are legal. If you don't want one for religious reasons, don't have one.
If abortion is allowed for Rape and Incest, what other reasons should abortion be covered? We really don't need to use federal funds to promote sexual irresponsibility any more than we have. If you want to have sex, that's your right, but I don't want my tax money to pay for you to abort because you don't want to deal with the consequences of your decisions.
I'm by no means a pro-lifer, but this amendment seems reasonable to me. With this amendment we still have a good start towards true universal healthcare.
That unlike family planning, has actually cost you tax dollars and possibly your job and your future?
You couch your terms in a 'reasonable' way, but your initial premise says otherwise.
Access to abortion does not promote promiscuity, no one wants to have an abortion. Your tax money would not go to abortions, but this part of the bill disallows abortion if you choose the gov't option even if you get supplemental health care insurance. It also encourages private providers to not pay for a legal medical procedure that a few women require.
And last but not least, I don't want my tax money to pay for wars, how's that been working out?
... even if it's only a small percentage it's still large in raw numbers. Even a one percent failure rate still results in ten thousand failures for every million.
Corruption favors the wealthy.
I have been ready to bail ever since Pelosi assured us that 'impeachment is off the table.' But this is the final straw. This is not just a gesture to the Republicans....the shocking thing is that this anti-abortion amendment will pass. Watch. The Democrats are not aligned with our interests. The President is not interested in fighting. This is the worst majority ever assembled. When the only sane liberals remaining are Frank, Whitehouse, Waxman, Braley, Kucinich, and Weiner......it's game over.
It seems like this administration is up to its neck in contentious issues: health care, war, energy, the ECONOMY! I can't blame it for picking its battles, but I wish it would at least try to keep a few of its campaign promises. Like Gitmo.
There are ways to get around the law so that abortions are publicly funded, but these hypocritical a$$holes won't ever admit that.
Let them blather.
I am a democrat, but I believe abortion it's just a legal crime. English is not my first language so pardon any grammatical errors. I believe in the power of women, but abortion is just a coward act, let's focus in empowering ourselves through strenght.
I believe that only in case of rape and incestus abortion should be allowed, you cannot just praise irresponsability! If you're grown up to have sex, grow up and assume the risk or hey! the are birth control methods!
and if you are against abortion, don't have one. If you are a guy, always use a very thick rubber, better yet, do not have sex outside of marriage.
No one is forcing YOU to have an abortion, it's about an individual's right to privacy with her MD, and her right to make her own choices.
me-oww!
I am a democrat, English is not my first language so pardon any grammatical errors. I believe in the power of women, but abortion is just a coward act, how can the baby defend him/herself? if you would at least use it for stem cells for producing life .... oh well ... it's a positive thing .... but just because? let's focus in empowering ourselves through strenght. We women are meant to be treated right, I now they're a bunch of irresponsible and mean assho... but that's were we have a brain, and choose "who" to have a kid with, that's a gift not to be given to just anybody. "We" have the decision, let's not forget who we are.
Sorry typo error .... I meant.... I know there are some assh..., but let's stop making guys so easy to get out of their responsibilities. They have it too comfortable here. Not everybody though, there are good guys, oh well...It's about time men are strong and don't rely on women to make their life smooth, and women having all the burden, one way is not having sex with somebody that doesn't value us, we choose, not them. We can still be strong and be helped not because we're weak, but because we deserve it. I remember it used to feel great, you can still see those values in few other countries.
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