The most delicious irony of the congressional health care debate is that “reform” may be shot down by a group of Democrats. Bart Stupak, the pro-life Democrat from Michigan, has reiterated his threat to kill the bill if House leaders and White House operatives meddle with his anti-abortion amendment to HR 3962:
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) pledged on Tuesday morning to defeat healthcare reform legislation if his abortion amendment is taken out, saying 10 to 20 anti-abortion-rights Democrats would vote against a bill with weaker language.
Since there has been so much misinformation in the “news” media about the Stupak amendment, it’s probably useful to review what is actually does:
Stupak’s amendment prohibits any insurance plan on a potential healthcare exchange from accepting federal subsidies if it covers abortion. Pro-abortion-rights lawmakers say that language is too broad and would drastically reduce access to abortion.
So, can he really deliver on this threat?
The healthcare bill passed the House by five votes. Stupak’s 10 to 20 votes would be enough to defeat the bill, unless some Democrats who originally voted “no” changed position.
One thing is certain: Anti-abortion Democrats like Stupak can’t be bought off. Nor will they be easily intimidated by Chicago-style bullying from creeps like David Axelrod. IN the end, it may be these Democrats who abort Obamacare.
UPDATE:
This post at the Health Affairs blog provides little useful information about the Stupak amendment, and less to the reform debate in general, but it does demonstrate how quaint the old feminist clichés have become. It’s author, Laurie Rubiner, solemnly intones:
From the very beginning, a central tenet of health care reform was that no one would lose coverage they already have. That’s why so many women are outraged by the Stupak amendment to the health reform legislation recently passed by the House.
It seems like centuries since the shopworn “women are outraged” routine moved the dial. It seems even longer since anyone actually believed that a Planned Parenthood activist speaks for more than a tiny minority of actual females.
Moreover, it’s interesting that Rubiner claims to be upset that women “will lose coverage.” I can’t seem to find any op-ed by her complaining that Obamacare will cause millions of elderly women to lose their Medicare Advantage coverage.
In reality, of course, what Rubiner is really upset about is the failure of the Democrats to circumvent the Hyde amendment via what they hilariously call health care “reform.”
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