Here is NOW's response and alarm about an anti-abortion bill he tried to get passed in 1997. I had not been aware of this, but the current climate in our country makes it pertinent. Father Pavone and others are planning on ramping up their opposition, so we need to know these things.
NOW leaders denounce Daschle Abortion Bill which does not protect women's lives or health NOW Executive Vice President Kim Gandy said today that abortion ban legislation prepared by Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., is a politically expedient compromise that seriously imperils women's lives and health and expands government intrusion into private medical matters.
"We believe the Daschle approach is unconstitutional, as is the Republican ban that denies a woman the right to an abortion to preserve her health -- a right that Roe v. Wade and other cases have consistently protected," Gandy said.
"Daschle's so-called compromise bill, as quoted in the New York Times, permits an exception to the ban for `a severely debilitating disease or impairment specifically caused by the pregnancy (emphasis added),' but makes no provision for a pre-existing, life- and health-threatening `debilitating disease or impairment' that is being exacerbated by the pregnancy. This could include kidney disease, severe hypertension and some cancers. Nor does the Daschle bill allow for an abortion in cases of severe fetal abnormality where it is unlikely the fetus would live long outside the womb, even with technological support.
"The physician certification requirement and the potential loss of a medical license in the Daschle language invites government scrutiny of private medical matters and threatens doctor-patient confidentiality. The intent of this and other abortion ban bills is to control women and to limit their ability to make critical reproductive decisions that affect their families, their health and their lives. These bills represent the ultimate in Congressional arrogance," Gandy charged.
The bill apparently was endorsed by President Clinton, according to this NPR newscast in 1997.
Online News Hour..Late Term AbortionSENATOR SPENCER ABRAHAM, (R) Michigan: We should be able to end this process, and we should be able to end it in the context of this legislation, which provides, I think, protections for the life of the mother in sufficient fashion to meet whatever standards society might demand.
KWAME HOLMAN: A Democratic amendment was briefly considered and rejected, giving way to the major alternative of the abortion debate. The bill by Minority Leader Tom Daschle has attracted support of Republicans and yesterday the endorsement of President Clinton.
SENATOR TOM DASCHLE, Minority Leader: That is really the fundamental difference between the two pending bills. We ban abortion; they ban a procedure. They allow all the other abortive procedures available--dilation and evacuation, induction, hysterotomies, hysterectomies--those are still legally available. What we ban are all of those procedures--all of them.
KWAME HOLMAN: The Daschle alternative would outlaw any abortion after a fetus can survive outside the womb, generally after six months. Such abortions would be legal only if the pregnancy threatened the woman's life or poses risk of grievous injury. Most Republicans, however, argue the Daschle ban amounts to no abortion ban at all.
I am not aware of his present views. I did a search and it appears he is considered okay on the subject. CPC Watcher points out that he will have great power over the rights of women. He has a 50% rating from NARAL even after that 1997 bill. Maybe he's changed his views a lot.
Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for HHSAbout CPC Watch
CPC Watch operates on one simple principle: how can we claim that women are "free to choose" their reproductive destinies when fake clinics are pushing false information to tens of thousands of women all over the country? Presidential-Elect Barack Obama has chosen former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle to replace Leavitt this January. As "Health Czar," Daschle will be in charge of orchestrating Obama's healthcare plan.
He will also be able to regulate things like reproductive health, family planning, and of course, restrictions on abortion. Though commonly praised for his visions on healthcare reform, Daschle is hardly a champion of reproductive justice. Daschle voted yes on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act that gives human rights to fetuses and the medically-unsound "Partial Birth Abortion" ban. He holds a 50% rating from NARAL. DNS Chairman Howard Dean, doctor and healthcare reformer, was also on the short-list for HHS secretary and holds a proud 100% NARAL rating.
It's difficult to say these things without being accused of being "too picky." After all, coming from eight painful years under Bush and his anti-choice, anti-woman cabinet, Daschle might seem a fine replacement to some. He's certainly no Leavittt, and is a supporter of Roe. But in these times of economic disparity, massive unemployment, bunk sex education, and patriarchal control, we must ask clearly, is Roe enough? Is simply accepting abortion rights within the first trimester with absolutely no guarantee to access and affordability all we're going to ask of those who have sworn to represent us and protect our rights?
We need to be aware.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
