Stupak-pitts
This past weekend, the US House of Representatives passed a healthcare reform bill with a 220-215 vote. The legislation was passed after the approval of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which removes abortion coverage from any of the insurance policies connected to the legislation, including those from private insurance companies, except in the cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is medically threatened. This circumnavigates and greatly marginalizes the (hard-won) existing laws about abortion, which extend beyond these three extreme circumstances.
When I first heard about the bill being passed, I was happy and relieved. As someone who is currently uninsured in the US and who has experienced the benefits of socialized healthcare in France, I am very much in support of healthcare reform. But when I read about the Stupack-Pitts Amendment I felt as if I had been slapped. And then punched in the gut. And then stabbed in the back. I feel acutely betrayed by my government and by my elected representatives, who are supposed to be pro-choice but who voted in favor of the bill with the amendment . And I felt betrayed and insulted when President Obama went on to proclaim the bill as "historic" without any reference to the rights being sacrificed. My rights being sacrificed. I am furious that women's rights have been tossed under the bus in a futile attempt to gain bipartisan support.
Here is some more information on the amendment from the NARAL:
• The Stupak-Pitts amendment forbids any plan offering abortion coverage in the new system from accepting even one subsidized customer. Since more than 80 percent of the participants in the exchange will be subsidized, it seems certain that all health plans will seek and accept these individuals. In other words, the Stupak-Pitts amendment forces plans in the exchange to make a difficult choice: either offer their product to 80 percent of consumers in the marketplace or offer abortion services in their benefits package. It seems clear which choice they will make.
• Stupak-Pitts supporters claim that women who require subsidies to help pay for their insurance plan will have abortion access through the option of purchasing a "rider," but this is a false promise. According to the respected National Women's Law Center, the five states that require a separate rider for abortion coverage, there is no evidence that plans offer these riders. In fact, in North Dakota, which has this policy, the private plan that holds the state's overwhelming share of the health-insurance market (91 percent) does not offer such a rider. Furthermore, the state insurance department has no record of abortion riders from any of the five leading individual insurance plans from at least the past decade. Nothing in this amendment would ensure that rider policies are available or affordable to the more than 80 percent of individuals who will receive federal subsidies in order to help purchase coverage in the new exchange.
Here is an excellent quotation from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend from an Op-Ed piece directed towards Catholic leaders published in Newsweek:
"They are determined to make abortion illegal, even if it derails health-care reform entirely-no matter the cost to women and children-and regardless of whether it would actually have any impact on the number of abortions in this country. (In fact, comprehensive health care could well reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and subsequent abortions.) In politics, this is called using abortion as a "wedge" issue. And it's simply not right. It is not right to jeopardize health care for the millions of women and children who need it most by inserting abortion politics into the debate."
Listen, I don't want to have a debate about whether or not abortion is "right." My own personal views on the matter aside, I fiercely support a woman's right to have control over her body and to make that decision for herself. I'm going to quote Kathleen Kennedy Townsend again: "Women do not make the decision to have an abortion lightly, but it is absolutely critical that they have the means to make this decision and access to the care they need, no matter what their choice. Anything less would be turning the clock back on the progress we have made on advancing women's health." Restricting access to abortions does not make them go away, it just makes them more dangerous (read a BBC article on abortion rates and abortion bans here).
While the healthcare reform bill includes some very good things (like expanding Medicare coverage and acknowledging the LGBT population and allowing them to receive healthcare coverage for their partners and families without a tax penalty), it has some other problems as well. Mostly it seems to be dumping a lot of money into a system that doesn't work very well. Also, undocumented workers aren't able to get coverage. So while the bill might be one step in the right direction for heath care reform, there's still a ways to go. And I simply cannot support that one step when it comes with TWO HUGE steps back for women's rights. Can we find a way to extend healthcare coverage without restricting reproductive rights? If this amendment makes it's way into the final healthcare reform legislation, what will it take later on to extend insurance coverage for abortion? And how long will it take? Can women please stop being the sacrificial lambs?
If you're upset about the Stupak-Pitts Amendment and the future shaping of health-care legislation, TAKE ACTION. It's imperative that we are vocal about this issue, especially since it was reported today that 41 House Democrats are rallying against the amendment, declaring in a letter to Pelosi that they will not vote for anything "that contains language that restricts women’s right to choose any further than current law." (see the Washington Post article).
Write to your House Representatives, urging them to take a stand for women's reproductive rights and expressing your concern over the current state of affairs. Write to your state senators, who are central in the next round of this fight-off. Write to the president! And, if you're able to, please make a donation to Planned Parenthood, an organization that continues to fight for women's reproductive rights and that offers affordable health care to women, men and children alike.
Contact your representatives!
Contact Obama!
Donate to Planned Parenthood!
More information:
My main source: an excellent article at jezebel.com
The Wall Street Journal
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Planned Parenthood: Health Care Reform
When I first heard about the bill being passed, I was happy and relieved. As someone who is currently uninsured in the US and who has experienced the benefits of socialized healthcare in France, I am very much in support of healthcare reform. But when I read about the Stupack-Pitts Amendment I felt as if I had been slapped. And then punched in the gut. And then stabbed in the back. I feel acutely betrayed by my government and by my elected representatives, who are supposed to be pro-choice but who voted in favor of the bill with the amendment . And I felt betrayed and insulted when President Obama went on to proclaim the bill as "historic" without any reference to the rights being sacrificed. My rights being sacrificed. I am furious that women's rights have been tossed under the bus in a futile attempt to gain bipartisan support.
Here is some more information on the amendment from the NARAL:
• The Stupak-Pitts amendment forbids any plan offering abortion coverage in the new system from accepting even one subsidized customer. Since more than 80 percent of the participants in the exchange will be subsidized, it seems certain that all health plans will seek and accept these individuals. In other words, the Stupak-Pitts amendment forces plans in the exchange to make a difficult choice: either offer their product to 80 percent of consumers in the marketplace or offer abortion services in their benefits package. It seems clear which choice they will make.
• Stupak-Pitts supporters claim that women who require subsidies to help pay for their insurance plan will have abortion access through the option of purchasing a "rider," but this is a false promise. According to the respected National Women's Law Center, the five states that require a separate rider for abortion coverage, there is no evidence that plans offer these riders. In fact, in North Dakota, which has this policy, the private plan that holds the state's overwhelming share of the health-insurance market (91 percent) does not offer such a rider. Furthermore, the state insurance department has no record of abortion riders from any of the five leading individual insurance plans from at least the past decade. Nothing in this amendment would ensure that rider policies are available or affordable to the more than 80 percent of individuals who will receive federal subsidies in order to help purchase coverage in the new exchange.
Here is an excellent quotation from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend from an Op-Ed piece directed towards Catholic leaders published in Newsweek:
"They are determined to make abortion illegal, even if it derails health-care reform entirely-no matter the cost to women and children-and regardless of whether it would actually have any impact on the number of abortions in this country. (In fact, comprehensive health care could well reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and subsequent abortions.) In politics, this is called using abortion as a "wedge" issue. And it's simply not right. It is not right to jeopardize health care for the millions of women and children who need it most by inserting abortion politics into the debate."
Listen, I don't want to have a debate about whether or not abortion is "right." My own personal views on the matter aside, I fiercely support a woman's right to have control over her body and to make that decision for herself. I'm going to quote Kathleen Kennedy Townsend again: "Women do not make the decision to have an abortion lightly, but it is absolutely critical that they have the means to make this decision and access to the care they need, no matter what their choice. Anything less would be turning the clock back on the progress we have made on advancing women's health." Restricting access to abortions does not make them go away, it just makes them more dangerous (read a BBC article on abortion rates and abortion bans here).
While the healthcare reform bill includes some very good things (like expanding Medicare coverage and acknowledging the LGBT population and allowing them to receive healthcare coverage for their partners and families without a tax penalty), it has some other problems as well. Mostly it seems to be dumping a lot of money into a system that doesn't work very well. Also, undocumented workers aren't able to get coverage. So while the bill might be one step in the right direction for heath care reform, there's still a ways to go. And I simply cannot support that one step when it comes with TWO HUGE steps back for women's rights. Can we find a way to extend healthcare coverage without restricting reproductive rights? If this amendment makes it's way into the final healthcare reform legislation, what will it take later on to extend insurance coverage for abortion? And how long will it take? Can women please stop being the sacrificial lambs?
If you're upset about the Stupak-Pitts Amendment and the future shaping of health-care legislation, TAKE ACTION. It's imperative that we are vocal about this issue, especially since it was reported today that 41 House Democrats are rallying against the amendment, declaring in a letter to Pelosi that they will not vote for anything "that contains language that restricts women’s right to choose any further than current law." (see the Washington Post article).
Write to your House Representatives, urging them to take a stand for women's reproductive rights and expressing your concern over the current state of affairs. Write to your state senators, who are central in the next round of this fight-off. Write to the president! And, if you're able to, please make a donation to Planned Parenthood, an organization that continues to fight for women's reproductive rights and that offers affordable health care to women, men and children alike.
Contact your representatives!
Contact Obama!
Donate to Planned Parenthood!
More information:
My main source: an excellent article at jezebel.com
The Wall Street Journal
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Planned Parenthood: Health Care Reform