(Sen. Ben) Nelson files anti-abortion amendment

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson today filed an amendment to the Senate health-care bill that places strict restrictions on federal funds going toward abortion services. The amendment is co-sponsored by fellow Democrat Bob Casey and eight Republicans.

"As written, the Senate health-care bill allows taxpayer dollars, directly and indirectly, to pay for insurance plans that cover abortion. Most Nebraskans, and Americans, do not favor using public funds to cover abortion and as a result this bill shouldn't open the door to do so," Nelson said in written statement that was just released.

Nelson says his amendment mirrors the provision in the House-passed bill offered by Rep. Bart Stupak. Both measures expand the current government prohibition of federal funds for abortions. Nelson says his measure ensures "that no federal funds are used to pay for abortion in the health-care reform legislation currently being considered."

According to his written statement, "The amendment would prohibit the use of the affordability tax credits to purchase a health insurance policy that covers abortion along with prohibiting federal funding for abortion under the community health insurance option."

The Republican Senate co-sponsors are Orrin Hatch, Sam Brownback, John Thune, Mike Enzi, Tom Coburn, Mike Johanns, David Vitter, and John Barrasso.

Read more: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/07/2144386.aspx

[theHandpuppet]

1. I'm Pro-Choice and I VOTE

And I will remember this the next time the party calls my house asking for money. That money will now go to Planned Parenthood instead.

[emulatorloo]

23. Are you in Nelson's state?

Has the amendment passed already?

Lets call our Senators and tell them to defeat it.

[roguevalley]

25. he just gets worse and worse.

[redwein]

26. Planned Parenthood is not the answer either

You won't give to the Dem's but you'll give to Planned Parenthood? And to whom do you think they'll throw their support (and PAC money) behind? Some of the same Dem's who will throw women under the bus, that's who. Planned Parenthood, for whom I've raised many thousands of $'s btw, has itself capitulated many times with regard to keeping Roe v Wade as strong as it could be. I, against my better judgement, spent a recent afternoon calling PP supporters to urge them to contact their Senators to vote against the Nelson amendment. PP swore to me that if the amendment was included in the health care bill, they would oppose the bill. As of now, a full day after the amendment is back on, PP has said nothing. It remains to be seen whether PP will remain principled as it promised. Regardless, there is a lesson here and it is this: partisan politics that offer a false choice are useless AND single-issue politics never work in the long term. The political alternative to this is (democratic) socialism and I urge you to look into it.

[asjr]

2. Sen. Nelson should keep his mouth shut. It is legal

to have an abortion in this country. Why does he want to discriminate against women? Does he know that most of the women in this country are far superior to him? He must be trying to get back at us. If he gets his way it must include not paying for vasectomies.

[fascisthunter]

3. I Think the "tent" is too big

especially when one is this right wing and intolerant of a women's choice in regards to her body.

[tomhayes]

4. Time to change the Senate makeup?

Base it on population of a state and not two per - because states that no one lives in are screwing over states where people actually live.

(I know - that's the house, but this shit is ridiculous.)

[AllentownJake]

5. Good luck with that

I doubt the small states will go for it.

[nyc 4 Biden]

10. +1

[Eric Condon]

6. Here's what I don't get:

why does all this anti-choice shit seem to keep coming from Democrats? I mean, I know there are plenty of DINOs in Congress, but are they just trying to do the Repuke's work for them now?

[TommyO]

7. Who needs Republicans when we have assholes like these on our side of the aisle?

[joeybee12]

8. Once more, the onus for birth control is on women...n/t

[glinda]

9. Control freak much?

[ladywnch]

11. he just wants to make sure that the HCR bill doesn't ever pass

this is a poisin pill designed to provide him cover on several fronts........this is for the conservatives in his district and then he can still say he supported HCR to the progressives....like the true DINO he is.....wanting to have it both ways.

[SoapBox]

12. Not to discount life BUT...

I try to tell myself, more and more, that ALL LIFE is important...the older I get the more I'm beginning to squirm even at our appetite for killing animals...be it for food or worse, sport hunting just to kill.

Human life should be important. BUT I think it should be a decision that does NOT include me, as to whether the mother / father are ready to bring another human into the world. In my limited knowledge, most terminations are done when the embryo is very, very small and not like you are killing a full grown human. I don't think these creepy politicians should be involved in a woman's reproductive organs.

I don't subscribe to much religion and that probably influences my outlook as well.

It's too bad that these bedroom-woman's-crotch-obsessed MEN would not equally support a woman's right to health / safety AND have more respect for other aspects of life. Why...is it that they want to outlaw abortion BUT they can't wait to slaughter life in a "war", execute life and gun down life of other species.

Hypocrital...bizarre...weird.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

13. More proof that party affiliation doesn't always correspond to friend or foe.

(D) or (R) just doesn't mean much to some of these so called representatives of the people.

It's ($) or ($) to too many of them.

On Edit: Welcome to DU SoapBox

[dgibby]

14. I'm just sorry the senator's mother didn't have a choice.

If he was my only child he not only wouldn't be my favorite, but I'd have his birth annulled.:puke:

[tonekat]

15. Any other turncoats want to speak up?

Get these house and senate members who are nothing more than "republican lite" out of the party!

[zalinda]

16. I would agree to it only if

Viagra or any of it's type of medication or any form of male sexual enhancement (including implants) also be prohibited in the insurance bill.

zalinda

[swilton]

17. This serves the corporatist agenda

by making the pro-reformers fight previously won battles to retain the status quo.............

"The gravest danger we face as a nation is not from the far right, although it may well inherit power, but from a bankrupt liberal class that has lost the will to fight and the moral courage to stand up for what it espouses." Chris Hedges

[lmarcotty]

18. This is even better than the House version

Maybe (probably) I wasn't paying attention to the Stupak amendment's exact language - but in this blurb, the jerk brigade's spokesasshole says

"The amendment would prohibit *the use of the affordability tax credits* to purchase a health insurance policy that covers abortion along with prohibiting federal funding for abortion under the community health insurance option..."

Now they're even telling us how we can spend money we DON'T PAY in income taxes. Right? I get a credit towards my income tax bill if I'm low income, so I can pay for health insurance - but I can't buy health insurance that covers abortion because then my tax CREDIT - i.e., money I don't have to pay the IRS so I can use it to pay for insurance - helps me buy an abortion. Maybe.

Words can't express the rage, fury and frustration those ASSHOLES in D.C. inspire in me.

[ooglymoogly]

19. We need to place the blame for these assholes where it belongs

With Reid and Pelosi and the perks of chairmanships and to who and why they are handed out. If these bastids remain in their powerful chairs we know that this is just a contrived game for congress that is paid for by lobbyists. (as if we did not already know) We can still be loud about who is to blame and ask why they are so willfully weak in meting out justice and taking away chairmanships for these insanities.

[winyanstaz]

20. Once again the nasties attack pregnant poor women.....

We need an iron clad law that allows women the rights over their own bodies...and that any asshole that writes a bill about controling womens bodies needs to be thrown into the dungeon for life.
I am so sick of this war on women.

[yurbud]

21. the senate will probably leave in funding for interns they impregnate

[seattle_blue]

22. Looks the same to me

What's the difference between having a Jerk Oxx like these guys and having a republican? If you have a (D) at the end of your name and you vote like you have an (R) you are absolutely useless!

[emulatorloo]

24. CALL YOUR DEM SENATORS AND TELL THEM TO DEFEAT IT

Of course all the repugs will vote for it.