Negotiators Add Abortion Clause to Spending Bill (no, no, no!)

[donsu]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/20/politics/20spend.html?ex=1101957766&ei=1&en=6c5682f4a3741373


House and Senate negotiators have tucked a potentially far-reaching anti-abortion provision into a $388 billion must-pass spending bill, complicating plans for Congress to wrap up its business and adjourn for the year.

-snip-

House officials said Saturday morning that the final details of the spending measure were worked out before midnight and that the bill was filed for the House vote on Saturday.

The abortion language would bar federal, state and local agencies from withholding taxpayer money from health care providers that refuse to provide or pay for abortions or refuse to offer abortion counseling or referrals. Current federal law, aimed at protecting Roman Catholic doctors, provides such "conscience protection'' to doctors who do not want to undergo abortion training. The new language would expand that protection to all health care providers, including hospitals, doctors, clinics and insurers.

-snip-

The provision could affect millions of American women, according to Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, who warned Friday that she would use procedural tactics to slow Senate business to a crawl if the language was not altered.

"I am willing to stand on my feet and slow this thing down," Ms. Boxer said. "Everyone wants to go home, I know that, and I know I will not win a popularity contest in the Senate. But they should not be doing this. On a huge spending bill they're writing law, and they're taking away rights from women."
-snip-
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"THEY'RE TAKING AWAY RIGHTS FROM WOMEN"


like, whose going to stop them?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Ok this is an exchange wtih a horrified friend over

email

The other day while listening ot Randi Rhides she raised the point, poignantly, since she is a woman, "Let them have it," after that huge wedge issue is gone what is left?

I tend to agree with her, but for another reason... and a far more practical reason.

WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP THEM IN THE HOUSE OR THE SENATE, not now, even less with the 109th congress meets... the Democrats have no power left, that is the cruel reality, we are a minority party... the propaganda has worked marvelously (assuming they did not steal it and actually won ok)

THis is what it will take for middle america to wake up

EXACTLY THIS... and the great depresion that is coming.

We must gather our strenth to fight this where we have a chance of wining, which is, to a point at state levels and ... I am gonna start pusing the freeper who wrote the expultioon of the blue states, to go ahead and write the damn ammendment. Time we let the consequneces of the vote sink in

They won't until little suzzie has to rely on back alley abortions (and if little suzzie voted for this, fine, let her realize what she voted for) Oh and I know fully what this means ok, before anyobdy preaches to me, taken care of more than one mother who died later on from sepsis or would not be able to have a child ever again due to the botched D&C procedure.

It won't sink until little harry has to go marching off to war in Iran (it's comming)

It won't sink until dady Robert needs to choose, zocor or dog food tonight.

It won't sink until andrea needs to choose, between watery lentil soup and watery rice soup... to half ass feed the family

Did I mention all of them did not have to make any of those choices before?

That is when it may sink in, that they vote mattered and their vote led to that.

Reality is people are too fat, too content and too happy still and too sedated by monday night football to care... or realize that their vote matters.

So let the consequences occur, maybe then they will matter to them.

[WMliberal]

2. ah jeez...

and they blame us for gridlock, blocking nominees, etc. Maybe they're just having too good a time in Washington and don't want to go home to their shithole red states.

on edit: flame away, i'm trying to get to 1000 posts before work at 4! and btw, i'm from a red state.

[DU9598]

4. I agree

They voted for it, they own it.

Let us give the repukes their way. Stand in the way of nothing. Just vote straight party against it to create the record to stand in stark contrast in 2006.

[WMliberal]

6. they don't want it to pass

they're never serious about this shit. if they did pass abortion bills, then they'd only have gay marriage to run against.
they only tack it on when they know it's gonna get defested. friggin poison pills.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I just wrote boxer telling her, vote on partty line

don't fight it

[LittleApple81]

3. Question to be asked: Why DO THESE PEOPLE HATE WOMEN??

Most religions created by men have a mysoginistic thread throughout their precepts. But this men (and the country) are getting ridiculous. Where are the millions of women and liberated men? We have taxation without representation.

[Deja Q]

5. Slimy and underhanded and unethical. Extortion. Period.

What was designed for a good reason has been perverted.

[proud patriot]

8. That's going on my Car Today

"They're Taking Rights Away From Women" Sen B.Boxer

[Selwynn]

9. I hate how congress works - they ought not to be able to slip things in

There is something so totally wrong with being able to add attachements that have nothing to do with the issue at hand into a bill. I hate it when either side does this, because its so cheap, and it has nothing to do with representing the interests in any american people.

If you can win a vote on a measure on its own merit, you shouldn't be able to slip it into a huge spending bill in order to sneak it by. This is one of the continuing outrages I feel towards our congressional system.