Dem Women Threaten Health Care Passage Over Stupak Amendment
09 November 2009 1:10 pm by Taylor Marsh
updated
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 passage. “There’s 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.” … – Washington Post
I’ve been talking to people inside the fight all morning and I’ll have a podcast up as soon as I can with an interview with “Jane Roe”, a friend that knows the ins and outs of legislation and the process, who agreed to talk to me anonymously. It’s the most important broadcast of the day.
To all those emailing me about leaving the Democratic Party because of the Pelosi’s House blowing it over the Stupak amendment, we need you to hold on and fight back. As an example, see the boycott John Aravosis has begun, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Give,” denying the DNC any money at all until they make good on pledges made. TM.com joins John and Joe, on behalf of women fighting for full civil rights and against the further encroachment on them.
Griswold and Roe hardly matter if there is no access through which to exercise your rights.
Greg Sargent foreshadows the battle that is just beginning, offering up the “working draft” of a letter to Pelosi laying down the gauntlet. Full letter is here.
As Members of Congress we believe that women should have access to a full range of reproductive health care. Health care reform must not be misused as an opportunity to restrict women’s access to reproductive health services.
The Stupak-Pitts amendment to H.R. 3962, The Affordable Healthcare for America Act, represents an unprecedented and unacceptable restriction on women’s ability to access the full range of reproductive health services to which they are lawfully entitled. We will not vote for a conference report that contains language that restricts women’s right to choose any further than current law.
Not even George W. Bush and the Republican Congress tried to do what the Democratic majority under Speaker Pelosi, the first woman in history to hold that position, did this weekend. That’s how bad the betrayal is.
I’m hearing that Pres. Obama evidently made pledges to certain House members that the Stupak amendment would not be in the final bill. He needs to keep that promise. But in the end, it’s up to us to make sure that with or without the President, women do not lose their full civil rights under the law.
Oh, and by the way, Sen. Claire McCaskill doesn’t know what she’s talking about (brief thoughts here, with more to come on the podcast). And since she’s so close to the President there is reason to worry.
None of us are taking any chances.
“I am confident that when it comes back from the conference committee that that language won’t be there,” Wasserman Schultz said during an appearance on MSNBC. “And I think we’re all going to be working very hard, particularly the pro-choice members, to make sure that’s the case.” – The Hill
