Rep Jan Schakowsky: 50 Dems Would Walk Away If Stupak Language Is Re-Inserted

A leading abortion rights advocate in the House said on Saturday that as many as 50 lawmakers were prepared to abandon health care reform legislation if the final bill were to include more restrictive abortion language.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) told reporters that she has conveyed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she and at least 49 other pro-choice Democrats would vote against the final measure if abortion language authored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) were to be reinserted.

"She knows that," Schakowsky said, "and the Speaker is pro-choice herself. She has made it very clear to Bart Stupak that there is no deal. But he can't seem to take yes for an answer."

Schakowsky said that she would consider supporting a potential fallback option to the impasse currently over abortion: an executive order by the President affirming that no federal funds went to the procedure. Another pro-choice lawmaker, Rep. Diana Degette (D-Colo.), said she would also consider the compromise.

Beyond that, however, it looks like there is little wiggle room with the pro-choice caucus.

"There is no deal with Bart Stupak," Schakowsky said. "If the Stupak language is on the bill than the bill fails because you can't use this historic transformation of health care to throw women and their reproductive rights under the bus entirely."

Comments

[KarateKid]

05:25 PM on 03/22/2010

Stupak's amendment had no chance of succeeding; it was a step backward from even the Hyde Amendment. What's amazing to me are the number of people who can't understand the difference between Pro Choice and Pro Abortion.

[meko]

07:33 PM on 03/22/2010

It was written into an Executive Order by President Obama this morning.

[GrooveGrl4]

10:39 AM on 03/23/2010

It does nothing except to reinforce laws that are already there. This push wasn't about abortion - it was about getting a lot of press time for Bart Stupak. I think political grandstanding is a good term for it. He gets to pretend to be a hero because he fought for what he thought was right, but was able to make a last minute deal to save the American people and the people of Michigan. So then we get a meaningless Executive Order. Shame on every single person who insisted on including ANYTHING about abortion in the language of this bill.

[meko]

10:54 AM on 03/23/2010

What Obama signed to get the Stupak vote: "Nothing in this Act shall require an otherwise qualified health plan, including an Exchange-participating plan, to cover any items or services to which the issuer, plan sponsor, or purchaser has a moral or religious objection.” Not just abortions, birth control, HIV treatment, tubal ligations, and vasectomies.

This is not simply reasserting Hyde.

[Mafdet]

12:38 PM on 03/22/2010

Abortion rights are part of the Democratic platform.

[meko]

02:05 PM on 03/22/2010

But not part of our President's makeup. He campaigned against Hyde. Now he's signed an executive order enshrining it into law, not just a procedural part of the annual budget.

[t iessa]

02:11 PM on 03/22/2010

Not if it doesn't fit Obama's needs.

[dougeyboy]

11:36 AM on 03/22/2010

Now this is the way you negotiate--present a firm wall based on history, logic, etc. And be willing to kill the deal to get your way. Why don't the rest of the Dem's have Schakowsky's heuvos?

[meko]

12:03 PM on 03/22/2010

She's caved on EVERYTHING else.

And besides, the President's signing statement makes the choice block moot.

Think about the literal meaning of these words: "Nothing in this Act shall require an otherwise qualified health plan, including an Exchange-participating plan, to cover any items or services to which the issuer, plan sponsor, or purchaser has a moral or religious objection.”

Not just abortions, birth control, HIV treatment, tubal ligations, vasectomies, what about circumcisions? Some people think mental illness is demonic possession, do they get to opt out? Some people think that drug and alcohol addiction are moral failings, not illnesses—can providers opt out of those treatments?

What happens to an emergency patient brought in to a Catholic hospital? Her religion does not forbid therapeutic abortion to save the life of the mother, and it’s too late to transfer her elsewhere. Does she have to die for someone else's religion?

Further, it creates a way for anti (name the medical procedure of your preference) groups to put pressure on any for-profit business to force that business to develop a, ahem, “moral objection” to the procedure that will cause the picketers to go away.

Under this language expect to see picketers outside major pharmacy chains, threatening to shut down their lucrative business in magazines, bottled ice tea, snacks and cosmetics unless they stop dispensing Plan B. Then it will be unless they stop dispensing the pill, then vaginal rings, spermicides and eventually condoms.

[dougeyboy]

02:01 PM on 03/22/2010

My comment had mostly to do with negotiation--the Dems clearly don't know what they're doing, in most cases saying they'll cave in before the negotiation process even starts. I don't know much about Schakowsky, but I liked the fact that she drew the line in the sand before the issue came up. Of course since she's a politician (and a Dem) it's almost certain she'll cave when the heat comes on. . .

[Dangerous Dan]

08:36 AM on 03/22/2010

Like COWS to the slaughter.
(Catholics on Wednesday & Sunday)
You may as well be Lutheran.

[Jazz88105]

07:57 AM on 03/22/2010

The President sold us out and this Pro Choice woman will remember come the next election.

[mdlawyer2]

09:54 AM on 03/22/2010

Why yes, President Palin (President Romney, President Bush III ( Jebbie), insert your Republican President of choice (the only choice you will have)) will be so much more understanding regarding a woman's right to choose.

[Roger Ellis]

07:11 AM on 03/22/2010

Anti Choice believers like Stupack should not be allowed in the legislative process at the Federal nor the State level.Their thinking contradicts current American law and their power in the legislative process is a real and present danger to all Americans.

[DannyGee]

12:34 PM on 03/22/2010

spoken like a typical open minded, elitist liberal. be open minded, as long as you think like me.

[eudaimoniac]

05:20 PM on 03/22/2010

You're right, there should be no threshold for consistency or moral reasoning.

[toomuchtolose]

07:12 PM on 03/22/2010

To Roger Ellis

I had so much respect for JFK. He made it very clear that as president of the United States he did not answer to the Pope. At this point, I do not believe I would ever take the risk of voting for a Catholic. I think those who follow the dictates of the Catholic bishops have shown their inability to hold representative offices. The problem is we won't really know which way that person will go until he/she is faced with the issue. If bishops, popes, and Rome threaten excommunication of a Catholic who is an elected representative and if that representative chooses his religion over women's rights, then that person should leave his/her office because he/she is compromised.

[3in1]

05:56 AM on 03/22/2010

During Sunday's debate 215 children died because of obama. he doesn't get it.

[3in1]

05:51 AM on 03/22/2010

to late jan

[Funkylicious]

12:10 AM on 03/22/2010

The Moment that you were elected Sir,...the moment you won the nomination...the moment you announced your candidancy ...forces were working against you and still are.

Mr. President, deals were done that handicapped you before even taking office. Massive sums of money on an historical scale were lost or either taken out of the economy. ''Scorched earth'' policy was in full swing waiting for you and the blame ready to lay at your feet.

The suffering and pain of people being laid off...having their homes taken away ...losing everything was to be left for you. All efforts to help those people ...the American public have been obstructed ..delayed ...and answered with a NO from the Republican party. Bankers took the money and ran..AND WORSE ...held back that money so that EVEN MORE could be blamed on you SIr.

When congress wanted to extend employment benefits to help ease the suffering ...the right fillibustered for a month while almost 200,000 people went off the rolls..losing everything ...

When you tried to fix health care , the special interests took hold by any means necessary. They have lied and misled...and delayed while people d1e...

You have tried to change it all from within ...

Now you stand there ...NOT ALONE ..STRONG STILL ...having achieved where others have failed for a CENTURY!

You did it Sir.

GOD bless you ...GOD bless the United States of America!!

[busterbrownthefirst]

11:49 PM on 03/21/2010

Thank you for taking such a strong stand on this second go-round, Rep. Schakowsky. If the Senate bill had parallelled the House's version from ages and ages ago, we would now have health reform with the Stupak Amendment inserted. I'm sure Obama would have had no trouble signing anything. So at least until tomorrow, women can heave a sigh of relief they still have some rights.

I do understand it's the Republican's thinking to chip away on corners of this bill at a time, and judging by the number of anti-abortion speeches today, I would think this issue might be one of the first up.

If women's rights are a concern to you, and/or if you disagree with the Stupak Amendment, please pay close attention to what's going on in the days ahead, and please call and e-mail your congresspeople as much as possible.

[LLelantra]

11:23 PM on 03/21/2010

Billions can funneled to Planned Parenthood for everything BUT abortion. this is an old accounting trick, and Obama might use it. But the Dems NEED a viable threat to legal abortion it has kept millions in line, just as the poverty of blacks has kept them in the fold. Keep your audience always wanting more. PS> did anyone really buy the notion that this sill was ever in trouble? Even Rush Limbaugh bought into this rope a dope. Or course there would be a last minute courageous stand by our Maximum Leader. Votes were there from day one - What took time to decide was what would leave the party faithful hungry for more.

[eudaimoniac]

12:29 AM on 03/22/2010

Obama is a Communist Marxist because he gave 30 million people access to health care that he could have given them sooner? This is evil because he didn't actually give them the evil health care sooner?. And the fact that this is bad is that it was obvious enough for even rush limbaugh to understand that people will tend to get excited that they will no longer have to worry about dying from of insurance and elect an administration to do exactly that? If that's to be feared, i'm curious as to your working definition of "good".

[DannyGee]

12:35 PM on 03/22/2010

people always get excited when you take money forcibly from someone else and give it to them. it's the entire platform of the democratic party for the last 55 years.

[wizzardly]

11:16 PM on 03/21/2010

This is a mess. Lots of strong feelings. Just stop the bill and do small things. Doing big is going to be a failure in the end and lots of consequences.

[pollyx]

11:23 PM on 03/21/2010

WRONG!

[Norak]

11:33 PM on 03/21/2010

Fail!

[Joel Redman]

06:18 PM on 03/22/2010

Too late, the bill has already passed. You need to back to Fox for fresh talking points.

[ipastor02]

10:39 PM on 03/21/2010

Well, lets see if the Schakowsky special worked on the Stupak crowd.

[James Croteau]

10:37 PM on 03/21/2010

So, Obama has decided to pass this so-called health reform on the backs of poor women. I could say that I'm shocked, but for sometime now, I am not.

Guess its time to take the Pledge Of Independence.

http://www.facebook.com/Independent.Voters#!/Independent.Voters?v=app_2370152746

[Joel Redman]

06:20 PM on 03/22/2010

What are you talking about? The current bill allows people to choose whether to get an insurance policy with or without abortion, and the abortion part is paid for with private, not public, funds. This is CHOICE.

[meko]

07:33 PM on 03/22/2010

The way the market us structured would lead to insurers no longer offering policies that include abortion coverage.

[meko]

08:44 PM on 03/22/2010

What Obama signed to get the Stupak vote: "Nothing in this Act shall require an otherwise qualified health plan, including an Exchange-participating plan, to cover any items or services to which the issuer, plan sponsor, or purchaser has a moral or religious objection.”

Not just abortions, birth control, HIV treatment, tubal ligations, and vasectomies.

This is the most sweeping reduction in rights yet.

Abortion legal, you're just not allowed to get it. Birth control legal, just not at the nearest pharmacy.

That's some champion of choice we have there.

[DavePalen]

10:06 PM on 03/21/2010

Is there enough time for Obama to go on his vacation now?

[munki]

10:30 PM on 03/21/2010

Vacation?

He has a lot of agenda in Asia that he has not had time to deal with = pending...

Perhaps delegation to people with knowledge and power - critiques here said, "sending whom supported his election, but not really qualified" - I need to check this out to verify if so true.

[DavePalen]

10:51 PM on 03/21/2010

It is postponed until summer so his kids can go on the vacation too. Taxpayer financed.

[nolajam]

11:03 PM on 03/21/2010

Vacationing was shrub's schtick. he spent the majority of his presidency on vacation.