abortion

This weekend, many celebrated the passage of the health-care reform bill in the House of representatives, despite the approval of an amendment that will restrict availability of coverage for abortions, which many plans now cover.  The amendment will prohibit federal funds for abortion services in the public option.  It also prohibits individuals who receive affordability credits from purchasing a plan that provides elective abortions. 

Although pro-choice House members voted for the bill in order to keep it moving, they are vowing it will be stripped out in the Senate and conference committee.  On MSNBC Rep. Wassmerman Schultz says "Well that language, she's right, is very, very troubling. It was extremely painful for me to have to vote for a bill - to feel compelled to vote for a bill - that had that type of restriction on a woman's right to make her own reproductive choices. I am confident that when it comes back from the conference committee, that that language won't be there and I think that we're all going to be working very hard - particularly the pro-choice members - to make sure that that's the case."

Meanwhile, over in the White House, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is as tight lipped about the amendment as he was about Sotomayor's views on choice, never weighing in on the debate.  Add this up with 64 democrats voting in favor of an amendment sponsored by a democrat in a democratic controlled House to take away my right to pay for an abortion with my own funds and I'd say we are in trouble.  Regardless of how pro-choice our President claims to be, I wouldn't put my eggs in his basket.  I think he'd rather push through a historic health-care reform bill and worry about "women's issues" later.

The FY2010 Appropriations Bill in the House of Representatives proposes to lift a special prohibition on the use of locally raised funds for abortion.  In a statement Congressman José E. Serrano, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, said the bill takes steps to reduce "undue congressional interference in local affairs and [eliminate] restrictions on the District that do not apply to other parts of the nation."

The bill would also discontinue the ban on Washington using federal money to register same-sex domestic and partners and providing them with benefits as well as bans on other funding related social issues.

Because Congress ultimately controls the District of Columbia, conservative members have played politics with abortion funding for years and the current bans have been in place since the days when Repulicans ruled the House.  Democrats are in for a fight from the republicans who want to keep the bans in place.

In the meantime, the Senate has not yet taken up their version of the Appropriations Bill, however, it is said they will run into staunch opposition if they eliminate the funding bans.

The North Dakota House of Representatives passed a fetal personhood bill, effectively outlawing abortion by declaring fertilized eggs have the same rights as human beings.  This dangerous bill could endanger use of contraceptives as well.  The Representatives voted 51-41 in favor of the bill today, which will now go to the Senate, which is anti-choice, along with the Governor. 

This is similar to a bill recently defeated in Colorado.  These bills are written to pose a challenged to Roe v. Wade.  North Dakota will likely end up in court defending this bill.

On this, the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I am especially grateful that we have a President who is going to appoint Supreme Court judges whom will uphold this important decision, who respects women and their right to choose and who will hopefully very soon overturn the global gag rule. 

I am especially interested in the new administrations webpage on women's issues where reproductive health is at the top of the list along with violence against women, poverty, education, and national security.   President Obama makes it very clear that he supports Roe v. Wade as well as access to birth control.

However, while we may have a President who now supports Roe v. Wade, President Bush signed the federal abortion ban in 2003 which still stands today.  The ban criminalizes abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy and allows politicians to make decisions that should be made by a women's doctor. With the anti-choice Supreme Court we currently have, the work to save Roe is not over.  

While I was thrilled last night that the candidates finally tackled an issue important to many women and an issue that they will have to deal with in their presidency, I was not thrilled with either of their responses. While Sen. Barack Obama went 90% of the way in standing behind women's reproductive freedom, he fell short when he started using Republican terminology such as "partial birth abortion" - something that does not even exist, but was made up by the anti-choice community to sound scary - and claiming he would ban late term abortions. And at no time during his ending remarks about us coming together to end unintended pregnancy did he mention birth control! This is a man endorsed by NARAL and Planned Parenthood and given his pro-choice education at the hand of Kate Michaelman, I was disappointed.

In response to Sen. Obama's comments about a ban on late term abortions (as long an there is as exception for the health of the mother) Sen. John McCain used air quotes to mock "health of the mother"! At that moment, he secured every undecided woman's vote for Barack Obama. He also allowed his true radical thoughts about women, the respect they deserve and their right to choose to shine through.

In an ad that played immediately following the debate, a young woman calls out Gov. Sarah Palin for feeling she should have to carry a child to term after being raped. I believe after his mocking last night, it is clear Sen. John McCain agrees. And in another example of his disregard for womens' health, in a January 2000 interview with Tim Russert John McCain states he understand that due to his policies women could die. I don't believe there should be any further doubt that a John McCain presidency would mean a slip backwards in time for womens' health.

With all of the McCain camp's attempts to link the Obama campaign with domestic terroroism, it has been found that Sen. John McCain has some radical supporters of his own. Mary Jacoby at the Wall Street Journal reported on McCain supporter, John Murtagh, a lawyer for a Catholic priest who led a violent protest on an abortion clinic.

Sen. McCain also has ties with Paul Schneck, a millitant anti-abortion activist who had private meetings with the Senator as far back as last year and was given a VIP pass to attend an event where McCain named Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

And coincidentally Sen. McCain has also repeatedly voted against bill that would protect women and abortion clinics from anti-choice terrorists such as Paul Schneck and those who John Murtagh defends.

Finally, most recently, Sen. McCain sat silently at an event while anti-choice extremist Marilyn Shannon lauded a women curently in jail for shooting a doctor who provided legal abortions.

Katie Couric sits down with both Vice Presidential nominees and discusses their views on the Supreme Court decision of Roe v Wade.

NARAL Pro-Choice America produced the following video on U.S. Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin's very adamant feelings on a women's right to choose.