Abortion Rights Supporters In Congress Request Talks With Obama

WASHINGTON — Abortion rights supporters in Congress are asking President Barack Obama for a meeting next week on abortion restrictions included in the House health care bill.

Leaders of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus have written to Obama calling the provisions an unprecedented restriction of women's access to health insurance coverage for abortion services.

Ninety lawmakers signed the letter requesting talks with the president.

The House-passed legislation would bar a new government-run insurance plan from covering abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. It prohibits any health plan that receives federal subsidies in a new insurance marketplace from offering abortion coverage.

Comments

[SPQR1775]

2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040 THE DEMOCRATS WILL WIN ALL THESE ELECTIONS, BY 2044 THE GOP WILL WIN AN ELECTION AND IT WILL BE A HISPANIC, BUT HE WILL MORE OR LESS BE A LINCOLN REPUBLICAN WHICH IS A DEMOCRAT ANYWAY!

[txshldm0007]

As George Carlin in this attached video explains very logically, the anti abortion bill is really anti woman bill.

Watch

Pro Life, Abortion, And The Sanctity Of Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvF1Q3UidWM

Pass it along

[Woman of the 60s]

What has happened to the Democratic party that stood for equal rights for all? They have rather rapidly gone from a platform that stood strong for women's rights to one that has come to resemble the most conservative values? How could the President I voted for and the first female Speaker of the House agree to language that includes the most signifucant restictions on women's reproductive rights in decades? For political resons they have decided to listen to Catholic Bishops and their most conservative menbers. (What ever happened to seperation of church and state)?

I am a veteran of the struggle for women's rights. I remember what it was like before Row v. Wade. It was not pretty. If the Stupak language is included in the final bill, no woman who is eligible for a federal subsidy will be able to purchase a policy that covers abortion. All of you who say you do not want your tax money to cover this legal medical procedure may want to consider that I do not want one dime of my tax dollars going to support the wars we are currently involved in. Do I get the right to declare that position? Or it that only reserved for the religious? When did we become a theocracy?

[DannyDanson]

As a progressive, I think you are right in spirit, we should mandate abortions coverage in all plans nationally, since Row v Wade hasn't been oveturned. Now since we have come to some agreement on that, we should start planning on how to revisit healthcare reform for 2016 or 2020 after the GOP takes back the Whitehouse, and Senate, and tax-cut , de-unionize, free-trade contract, and deregulate the country back to the brink of depression, considering that this is effectively the point of that strategic decison to include that amendments in the final house bill that passed with whopping 2 votes, while we are at it why don't we repeal DADT, and establish gay and lesbian marriages nationwide, close gitmo, regulate derivatives, and slip in the EFCA too while we are at it.

Contrary to popular conception, the Hyde Amendment does not ban all federal funding for abortion. The legislation only bans funds from appropriations for the HHS budget from going to that purpose, has anyone consider drafting alternative means of providing assistance to women for this purpose, it might just save the single most substantial legislative victory for progressive policy since the civil right bills.

Are we simply speaking of making a "political" statement here or the "actual" banning of a woman's legal right to choose.

With an electorate like this who needs an opposition!

[pbr90]

The purpose of Roe v Wade was to make it possible for women to safely have an abortion in the first place. For a health care bill to effectively overturn Roe v Wade by the refusal to include abortion in the health care reform act as legitimate is the denial of the legitimacy of Roe v Wade, and is a first step in its overturning by acknowledging its illegitimacy.

It also places women who want abortions in the unique position of having been discriminated against by Congress, and reducing them to little more than children having to ask permission for what other adults are intended to receive in the form of health care where needed as covered.

Discrimination application of laws has always been a huge part of civil rights law that Americans have struggled with for 40 years, in part, because of the problem of Congress failing to pass the ERA which distinguishes women as fully within the adult standard of having citizenship rights equivalent to those of men. Forcing women to have unwanted children by application of laws refusing to cover abortions subjects women to undue risk for a legal right that is the substance of Roe v Wade. In effect, it makes abortion illegal without a Supreme Court ever having to take up the question that was supposedly already settled law.

[Laserbeam]

I feel that we women are being asked to sacrifice our healthcare so that men and children can have healthcare. I believe the children are being treated more like adults than women are!

Thank you for your eloquent comment. It cannot be repeated often enough.

[Spiky Kitten]

There should be waiting periods for getting an abortion just like guns - I think 10 months should suffice.

[Spiky Kitten]

Does your current health insurance cover you to get an abortion?

Are there limits as to how many you are able to get in a year?

[Laserbeam]

1. Yes.

2. No.

[NICELYDONE]

where is the outrage at these 90 spineless cowards who voted FOR the bill on Saturday, but NOW want an audience ?

[simplify]

Couldnt a photo with a larger more diverse section of the population holding that sign, be found?

[Spiky Kitten]

It does not restrict abortion!

You are welcome to pay for it yourself.

[Laserbeam]

You are incorrect.

We are not asking anyone else to pay for it.

We already pay for it with premiums that cost far more than men's, for healthcare that is particular to women's bodies.

This amendment seeks to prevent ALL insurance companies from covering abortion services, regardless of who pays for it. That eliminates access. Eliminating access has the effect of making an otherwise legal and necessary procedure completely illegal for all intents and purposes.

The latter is in direct and complete opposition to the Democratic Party platform. If Stupak feels he cannot in heart agree with that sentiment, perhaps he should switch to the Republican Party, which has no such language in its' platform.

[vesaversa1]

This amendment dose take away women Freedoms , It go well beyond the status qua . This amendment will be written out of the health care bill.

[Artisan53]

"This amendment dose take away women Freedoms"

Go away, teabagger.

[DannyDanson]

Contrary to popular conception, the Hyde Amendment does not ban all federal funding for abortion. The legislation only bans funds from appropriations for the HHS budget from going to that purpose.

It appears to me that this could be resolved without torpedoing the entire bill, as long as we still have majorities, which we will not if this bill fails to passed as happened under the Clinton Adminstration.

Cooler heads need to prevail here and offer an amendment the day after the bill passes to allow for abortion coverage funding through another legislative vehicle, that doesn't jeopordize the entire Health Insurance Reform bill, it would be completely legal.

[rain33]

too much of the status quo! men come first while women still behind. thank old blue dogs who voted for this bill.

[vesaversa1]

This amendment dose take away women Freedom, it go well bounden the status qua already on the books . And it will be written out of this health care bill .

[coveark]

The GOP and DEMS courting the Conservative Right vote are trying to force lawmakers to start doing what Insurance Companies are guilty of........­..........­.Pre selection of what will be treated.

Abortion is not a pretty thought ..........­..........­but.......­..........­It is a legal womans choice and My personal thought is if you do not want children.........do not get pregnant.

But that is not realistic at all. Things happen. This should not really be an issue for others to choose.

I do believe that we should all work on the public option and/os single payer and get it passed now whatever..­..........­....It will be for more people's benefit to get it passed and then work on adjustments. Get It Passed .

[Artisan53]

I love how the pro-choice groups are now taking the Glen Beck approach of saying the health care bill will take away their freedom.

[who38]

It does. It controls a woman's ability to buy health insurance for a legal medical procedure. I love how the majority of people on this and other sites don't get that.

The last sentence of the short form is this article is: "It prohibits any health plan that receives federal subsidies in a new insurance marketplace from offering abortion coverage."

What part of that sentence don't you understand?

[Artisan53]

But I thought progressives said health care reform wouldn't take away any coverage or rights? What happened to the govt. not becoming between you and your doctor?

[DannyDanson]

Contrary to popular conception, the Hyde Amendment does not ban all federal funding for abortion. The legislation only bans funds from appropriations for the HHS budget from going to that purpose.

Even if this was placed in the bill in order to gain the 2 votes it took to pass, that does not mean that all means of protecting a woman's right to choose are gone, find another legislative vehicle similar to "medicare part D" in theory and pass it while we have majorities the week after the Health Insurance Bill passes, because once the bill comes back to the house with a similar amendment added the house removes it and it gets voted down in committee, we are going to be right where we started except the elections will be upon us and our majorities will be at risk because of Obama's failed initiatives and the economy.

[vesaversa1]

This amendment dose take away women Freedom, it go well bounden the status qua already on the books . And it will be written out of this health care bill .

[RachelMc]

does

[me again]

Any woman who votes for a GOP, or Democratic member of Congress who is anti-abortion, is voting against equality and setting America back 100 years.

[NICELYDONE]

bet a lot of babies growing up won't think so

[Laserbeam]

How many times have you used that tired phrase, even on this story alone? Polly got a cracker?

[Raster]

The Stupak Amendment should be an absolute deal-breaker for the health care bill. Any purported "Women's Rights" organizations who accept it will have no credibility. There are just too many conflicting forces to get a worthwhile bill passed.

[mikefina]

They ALREADY accepted it--Saturday night. They rolled over once, and would do it again.

[who38]

Unfortunately, you are correct.