Abortion debate could destroy Obama clan
Fewer questions will yield more impassioned answers than this one: How do you feel about abortion? When asked, a little more than half the population will support a woman’s right to choose and a little under half will be against abortion in all, or almost all, circumstances.
While abortion wasn’t the vogue political issue in 2008, it’s making a comeback in the health care debate. In the waning hours of the health care push in the House, Representative Bart Stupak (D-Mich) introduced and passed an amendment to the bill that prohibits the use of federal subsidies to pay for insurance that covers abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is threatened.
Representative Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Menominee, Mich., threatens to further complicate the health care bill by introducing prohibitions on abortions
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Now the Senate bill might not include such a measure, but at the end of the day, whether it’s on the floor of the Senate or in conference, the abortion issue has to be addressed. The Democratic leadership is between a rock and hard place, either allow the provision and risk losing votes on the Left or kill it and lose votes on the Right.
The midterm elections are looming, and allowing federal dollars to pay for abortions is not good politics. President Obama won 53 percent of the Catholic vote, which tends to be heavily pro-life, last November and quite a few members of Congress owe their victory to his coattails. Alienating even half of that voting bloc is very dangerous for Democrats, who won’t have the Obama bump in 2010.
So Democrats in Congress have to answer the question, “What’s more important, principle or re-election?” If history has taught us anything, they’ll choose the latter.
Assuming they choose re-election, the bill will include Stupak’s abortion provision. However, such a provision is likely to cost the bill several ardent abortion rights advocates.
You can do the math. The bill only passed the House by three votes, and it needs 60 to pass the Senate. It will only take a small handful of pro-choice legislators to derail this bill, and if derailed, the president’s re-election will be anything but certain.
Now Democrats in Congress have another question, “What’s more important, principle or the President’s re-election?” For that matter, the president has to answer the same question.
So while no one was watching on a Saturday night, someone named Bart Stupak drew a line in the sand that stretches from Washington to the Pacific Ocean. This line could tear apart the coalition that sent President Obama to Pennsylvania Avenue in 2008, because while we weren’t looking, abortion made a comeback.
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by Mayu
my feeling is this. Everyone talks about being pro-choice… and making an amendment to stop abortion is taking that choice away from those who are ok with abortion.
Well isn’t an amendment in the bill that will finance abortions with taxpayer dollars taking away MY choice to have nothing to do with what I believe to be the sensless murder of innocent lives?
When you look at the percentage of incest and rape abortions, they don’t hold a candle to the number of abortions used as after the fact birth control.
if you can’t keep your legs closed and you’re to stupid to use the “protection” that is being taught to kids as young as elementary schools now…
then kill the baby on your own dime and live with the blood on your own hands. Leave me and my money out of it.
Flag for moderationby Maryann
Here’s the thing, no matter what they choose, everyone will not be happy. If they make it illegal, half of America is going to say that the government is getting involve with our personal life, but the other half is going to happy. But if they make it legal, to many people the government looks like killers to the unborn. so anything they do is going to make at least half of America unhappy.
I am pro-life, and i am only 15 years old. I go to school and see several girls that are pregnant and keep the children. But here the thing, if your not smart enough to use protection then keep you legs closed. I see, hear, and know girls who have sex with their boyfriends and never become pregnant because they use protection. So if 16 and 17 year old know how to use it then why can’t women over their 20’s be smart enough to use protection.
Flag for moderationby Jenny
I am pro-choice. I am not one person, but many. Here is what I believe:
The fetus is not a human, just a mass of tissue.
Abortion is safer than childbirth.
Abortion is Safe
Every child should be a wanted child.
The number of abortions is relatively small.
Nobody has the right to impose their morals on me.
A woman should be able to control her own body.
Abortion must be kept legal, especially for all the rape and incest pregnancies.
If abortion is outlawed women will be forced to go to back-alley abortion clinics.
Aborting unwanted children reduces the number of abused children.
We need to remember that we are overpopulating the planet.
Planned Parenthood is a group that focuses on contraception.
Flag for moderationby John
The back alley abortion clinic claim is misleading. Far fewer women had abortions when it was illegal today it is a massive industry that terminates the lives of 1.5 million babies a year in assembly line style.
When it was legalized in 1972 the CDC began reporting solid numbers. The number of abortions rose every year for almost 20 years from 500,000 a year to 1. 5 million per year by the 1990s, suggesting that the practice was spreading.
The number of deaths from abortion, legal or not, is about the same. 30 died when it was illegal in 1971 and roughly the same number die today.
The rate of premature births is way up though, not suprising since any simple google search with the words “ abortion and premature birth” will show that it is pretty much established fact that abortion doubles the risk of premature birth.
Flag for moderationAnd any google search on “ abortion and mental health new zealand study” will show that abortions, even when studies control for previous mental health problems, increase the risk of mental health problems.
As for overpopulation, we are not overpopulated. Fertility rates are imploding everywhere, even China has sub replacement level fertility rates.
Finally Planned parenthood was founded by a neo nazi racist and planned parenthood has been caught on tape covering up statatory rape on 12 year old girls seeking abortions and accepting money to be used on black babies.