As I was browsing the sex blogosphere, I came across this impassioned plea from Planned Parenthood. Now, I realize that many of you don't care one way or the other about abortion (since many of you will never have to contend with unwanted pregnancy), but I feel that this is a serious issue that deserves your attention. It will only take two minutes of your time and you will be helping to insure that women in the USA will have complete control of their own bodies. The Stupak abortion coverage ban that passed the House of Representatives last month is headed for the Senate right now — and we urgently need your help. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and Democratic Senator Ben Nelson are planning to introduce an amendment to the Senate health care reform bill that is virtually identical to the Stupak ban that passed in the House. With both Republican and Democratic support for this damaging amendment, it is entirely possible that the resulting health care reform legislation will eliminate access to private health insurance coverage of abortion for millions of women. We cannot let that happen. We must stop them, and we need your help. Please, send a message to your senators right now by completing the form. I'll include an except from the Wikipedia article about the Stupak ban, so you can have a better idea of what is happening: The amendment prohibits use of Federal funds "to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion" except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother, which is being interpreted to mean abortions not included in the exceptions may not be covered in the public option or in any of the exchange's private plans that take subsidized customers. *This is not a place for a debate between ProLife or ProChoice Advocates. I am simply reaching out to try and inform many of you what is going on in your government.
Wow, I haven't heard anything about this. I hope this doesn't go through, but if it does, at least the bill will make exceptions for abortion (rape, incest, life threatening to the mother)... This is probably a dumb question, but can a Health Care Bill actually overturn, or overrule, a Supreme Court Decision/Ruling? Espicially one as old and controversial as the case of Roe vs. Wade?
The thing is that they aren't outlawing abortion; they are simply making it next to impossible to acquire funds for an abortion. The bill is saying that Federal money would not be given to any abortion process or health care insurance that covers abortion. It would neatly dance around that issue because it would simply be restricting access to anyone who couldn't afford to pay for the abortion out of their own pocket (which is pretty much everyone). As a women, you wouldn't even be allowed to buy insurance that covers abortion (this could even end up extending to completely private insurers). This also means that anyone who already has a plan that covers abortion could lose their insurance. It is a disgusting and underhanded method chosen by ProLifers simply because of the phrasing of any polls on the bill acquire. Just a take a look at the wording! It's simply raising the 'Socialist' alarm bell. 'A poll from November 10–11 by Angus Reid Global Monitor found that 54% of Americans supported "prohibiting the use of federal funding for insurance that covers elective abortions". Among self-identified Democrats, 46% expressed support. The poll results had a 3.1% margin of error.[22][23] In a November 12–15 Washington Post – ABC News poll, 61% responded they "support barring coverage for abortions for those receiving public subsidies"; asked whether "with segregated private money used to cover abortion procedures", as provided by the earlier Capps Amendment,[16] 56% said "insurance offered to those using government assistance should be able to include such coverage".[24] A November 13–15 CNN – Opinion Research Corporation poll found that 60% of the respondents oppose public funding of abortion. When asked whether private and employer-sponsored insurance plans should cover any costs of abortion or whether women should have to pay the entire cost themselves, a 51 – 45% majority said women should have to pay the full costs themselves. CNN said the 6% difference is within the poll's sampling error.[25]'
Woops, I overlooked that. Now I see, they're just making it difficult. Well, this is a low-blow.. Why are there polls on a bill? I thought that Americans established that online polls aren't really all that accurate, and that we didn't really "believe" in them.
Outside of informing your friends in the U.S.A, I'm afraid we are both relatively powerless. But spread the word! It worries me that there has been so few responses from those on this site. I had hoped that people would realize the incredible risks that are associated with this kind of legislation.
That's absolutely ridiculous... it's nutty evangelicals having to get their little anti-woman digs in everywhere. That said - abortion is illegal here, any Irish woman who wants one is forced to travel to the UK or somewhere else in Europe, which is absolutely insane.
