The Republican vote in the House of Representatives for the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the House's Healthcare Reform bill is a two edged sword. The amendment, written by Democrat Bart Stupak of Michigan and Republican Joseph R. Pitts of Pennsylvania bars the use of federal money for abortions.
Exceptions are made for rape, incest and life threatening conditions for the mother. This bill is some what like the Hyde amendment that was passed in 1976 to limit federal funding of the left's dream of tax payer supported "abortion on demand" through the department of Health and Human Services. The Hyde amendment represents the first major victory of abortion opponents in America.
The Stupak-Pitts amendment represents an even greater win for the anti abortion forces. The amendment says that persons purchasing private insurance with government money won't be allowed to buy insurance that allows the termination of unwanted pregnancies.
The battle over this issue has raged ever since the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court in 1973 legalized abortion in the United States. The Republican minority in the Senate is about to have the House Health Care Reform Bill and this amendment hot potato both land in their collective laps.
Abortion rights supporters in the House vow to strip this amendment out "as the focus turns to the Senate and the conference committee that would resolve differences between the two bills." Reports Washington Post Staff Writer Alec MacGillis in Washington Post article "Abortion an obstacle to health-car bill".
"Although House liberals voted for the bill with the amendment to keep the process moving forward, Rep. Diana DeGette(Colo.) said she has collected more than 40 signatures from House Democrats vowing to oppose any final bill that includes the amendment--enough to block the passage." reports MacGillis.
"There is going to be a firestorm here," DeGette said. "Women are going to realize that a Democratic-controlled House has passed legislation that would prohibit women paying for abortions with their own funds...We're not going to let this into law."
The National Right To Life Committee said in a letter to members of the House "....a vote against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment can only be construed as a position-defining vote in favor of establishing a federal government program that will directly fund abortion on demand, with federal funds, and a second federal program that will provide government subsides to private insurance plans that cover abortion on demand. NRLC regards this as the most important House roll call on federal funding of abortion since the House last voted directly on the Hyde Amendment in 1997."
To appease the "Right to Life' supporters and other more moderate abortion opponents, Republicans must pass this amendment, but when they do, the rest of the bill becomes a closer reality. On the other hand, the liberal wing of the Democratic party and their "Right to Choose" supporters are vowing to fight this amendment to the bitter end. This makes passage less likely.
By passing this amendment, the Republican minority and conservative Democrats have made a bill they don't want to see become law more likely to become law. By the same token, the liberal wing of the Democratic party is having kittens over this abortion foe victory in their health care reform plan.
Comments
Biggest problems I have with the Stupak is I have not heard any mention of incresing education or prevention for those who are receiving assistance. I do not want to see women using abortion as a form of birth control, however, I do not believe the folks who created this bill consider the many, many social issues many of these women are experiencing. (i.e. date rape which is difficult at times to prove or families who won't talk about prevention) Is there an increase in prevention or education for these women (and men)?
Also, it makes me very nervous- the amount of power the faith community has on our government. And, if we are not all that thrilled with govt getting in our personal lives, why tell any woman what she can and cannot do. Where do these folks think the govt no longer interfs line is? There is always another shoe. A very slippery slope here.
The Stupak amendment would have little effect on most abortions. As the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out today, only 13 percent of all abortions are currently billed to insurance. Of those, a large number are for rape, incest or to save the mother's life, which would still be covered under Stupak (with Federal funds) Of those remaining abortions, a large number would remain under private insurance only. So you are talking about only a tiny fraction of all abortions that would be affected in any way by Stupak. Of those, an abortion rider could be purchased with private money, similar to a maternity rider that is common. So, why is NARAL etc having such an overblown reaction to this? They are threatening to derail the entire health care bill, as well as 41 senators who say they wont pass the bill because of Stupak. Did these people ever have any real commitment to health care at all?
Some Catholics (not all) were manipulated AGAIN into supporting the criminal Obamacare SCAM. They believed the lies of Obama and his accomplices regarding abortion coverage!
Don’t they understand that, if Obama gets his way, Obamacare will FORCE us to pay for abortions, infanticide (late-term abortion) and probably euthanasia, regardless of what Obama and his accomplices say?
Lies do not change Obama's pro-abortion and pro-infanticide (late-term abortion) stand, nor the aberrant stands of Obama's Health Care Czar Ezekiel Emanuel and Science Czar John Holdren.
Obama's Health Care Czar Ezekiel Emanuel, rightfully called "Doctor Death," would make Dr. Kervorkian proud.
Dr. Emanuel has said that "Medical care should not be given to those who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens." As per Dr. Emanuel, your mother suffering from Alzheimer’s or your child diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome SHOULD NOT receive medical care.
For the House to approve the Obamacare scam, Obama and his accomplices ended up bribing (at our expense) Big Pharma, AARP, AMA, “Catholics” like Cao, etc. Among the latest to be bribed were insurance companies, which are now happy because Obama will send us to JAIL if we fail to buy COMPREHESIVE health insurance!
* Section 7203 - misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
* Section 7201 - felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years." [page 3]
And how much will the stay-out-of-jail insurance cost? The Joint Committee noted that "according to a recent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, the lowest-cost family non-group plan under HR 3862 (the Pelosi bill) would cost $15,000 by 2016."
Obama's bill only provides subsidies to help pay this enormous sum after families making about $45,000 have paid 8% of their income for insurance.
The Stupak ammendment is necessary because the Federal Government should not be involved in abortions.
I can see why some politician do not want to vote for healthcare reform. Jon Kyl our own senator here in AZ received over $1.28 million from the healthcare sector for his reelection in 2006 (Center for Responsive Politics). Americans spend far more on a percapita basis than any other nation in the world (World Health Organization) yet looking at the CIA Factbook I find that our healthcare statistics are on par with Cuba a backwards communist country. Somewhere in America the profit is being taken and the healthcare service is not being provided. Could it be the healthcare insurance companies that are giving millions to our politicians?
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