Planned Parenthood fires off statement opposing Pelosi healthcare deal with abortion rights foes

[Better Believe It]

Obama Meeting House Dems As Abortion Issue Threatens Delay Of Health Care Vote
November 7, 2009

In a late night development, anti-abortion Democrats scored a major victory by persuading Democratic leaders to allow them to offer an amendment during the House health-care debate Saturday that would ban most abortion coverage from the public option and other insurance providers in the new so-called "exchange" the legislation would create, three Democratic sources told CNN.

The fact that the amendment will be allowed to be proposed is also a big win for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which used its power -- especially with conservative Democrats in swing congressional districts -- to help force Democratic leaders to permit a vote that most of them oppose.

Planned Parenthood decried the amendment, saying it would result in the elimination of abortion coverage currently offered by most private health insurance plans.

"This amendment would violate the spirit of health care reform, which is meant to guarantee quality, affordable health care coverage for all by creating a two-tiered system that would punish women, particularly those with low and modest incomes," the group said in a statement.

"Women won't stand for legislation that takes away their current benefits and leaves them worse off after health care reform than they are today."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders were negotiating with the Catholic bishops and their representatives on Friday.


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Democrats to resolve abortion impasse on the House floor
By Lori Montgomery
November 7, 2009

House Democratic leaders agreed Friday night to settle an impasse over abortion by letting the entire House vote on a proposed solution, a risky decision that could determine the fate of their trillion-dollar overhaul of the nation's health care system.

The amendment is expected to pass with the combined support of more than 40 anti-abortion Democrats and virtually every House Republican. That likelihood meant that leaders of the much larger group of Democrats who support abortion rights were not happy to learn of the deal.

"There will be no abortion, not just with public funds, but with private funds under the public option, and that's not acceptable," said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.).

Upon learning of Friday night's deal, the Planned Parenthood Federation of American quickly fired off a statement from president Cecile Richards opposing the amendment. Such a measure, Richards said, would effectively force private insurers to drop coverage of abortion in order to offer their policies through the new insurance exchanges.

Negotiations between the two camps consumed much of the day Friday, as representatives from the warring factions shuttled into and out of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office just off the Capitol Rotunda. A deal was finally struck shortly before 9:30 p.m., sending Stupak to the House Rules Committee to request official permission to offer his amendment -- permission that was finally granted shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday.

After the deal was struck, annoyed pro-choice leaders filed out of Pelosi's office to confer with their supporters.

Please read the above two articles at the following two links:

http://www.wibw.com/nationalnews/headlines/69462657.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/11/democrats_to_resolve_abortion.html

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Statement of the Planned Parenthood Federation of American regarding the anti-abortion amendment deal:



PRESS RELEASE
NOVEMBER 7, 2009

STATEMENT BY CECILE RICHARDS, PRESIDENT, PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA, REGARDING REP. BART STUPAK'S AMENDMENT RESTRICTING WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE ACCESS

“Planned Parenthood strongly opposes the Stupak/Pitts amendment, which would result in women losing health benefits they have today. This amendment would violate the spirit of health care reform, which is meant to guarantee quality, affordable health care coverage for all, by creating a two-tiered system that would punish women, particularly those with low and modest incomes. Women won’t stand for legislation that takes away their current benefits and leaves them worse off after health care reform than they are today.

“While Rep. Stupak claims that his amendment simply applies the Hyde amendment to health reform, nothing could be further from the truth. The Stupak/Pitts amendment would result in a new restriction on women’s access to abortion coverage in the private health insurance market, undermining the ability of women to purchase private health plans that cover abortion care, even if they pay for most of the premium with their own money.

“The fact is, the majority of private health insurance plans currently offer abortion coverage, and the Stupak/Pitts amendment would result in the elimination of abortion coverage in the new insurance market created under health care reform. The Stupak/Pitts amendment upends the carefully crafted compromise in the House bill and unambiguously restricts women’s access to care.”

“Rep. Stupak’s amendment would dramatically shift current federal policy related to abortion coverage and would undermine the principle of abortion neutrality in health care reform. A vote for Rep. Stupak’s amendment is a vote to weaken women’s access to comprehensive reproductive care and to take away private benefits that women currently have.

“Rep. Stupak’s proposal to codify the Hyde amendment in health care reform would force women who want comprehensive reproductive health care coverage to purchase a separate, single-service rider. Such an ‘abortion rider,’ whereby abortion care could only be covered by a single-service plan in the exchange, is discriminatory and illogical. Women do not plan to have unintended pregnancies or medically complicated pregnancies that require ending the pregnancy. In fact, about half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, and abortion is not something that women plan to insure against. As a result, an ‘abortion rider’ policy is unworkable. Women would not choose to purchase it, and would subsequently be unable to obtain the care they need. Proposing a separate ‘abortion rider’ represents exactly the type of government interference in the health care marketplace that conservatives purport to vehemently oppose.

“As a health care provider, Planned Parenthood would very much like to see health care reform passed. But the Stupak/Pitts amendment would put women’s health in jeopardy and undermine real health reform.”

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/planned-parenthood-statement-opposing-stupak-pitts-amendment-30818.htm

[villager]

1. damn good thing we have large progressive Democratic majorities now to counter....

Oh wait.

[vaberella]

2. Are they against the ENTIRE Bill or just the Stupak Amendment? n/t

If it's just the Amendment, fight against the Amendment but if the Bill provides a lot of other things, I'm not about to drop it.

[Better Believe It]

4. I would think that many members are now against the entire bill but they may not be a majority in

in the organization or leadership positions.

Certainly a few members of Planned Parenthood will settle for any health care insurance "reform" passed by Congress no matter how weak or bad the bill is. You obviously will, so why shouldn't we think more conservative elements within Planned Parenthood would not support any bill passed by Congress?

[vaberella]

6. Well unlike others...I'm not a fan of the amendment. However, I know this is not the final bill.

These are going through voting so they can go to conference before the final bill is done from my understanding.

[Hello_Kitty]

3. It's so awesome that women are going to be FORCED to purchase insurance

That doesn't cover a legal medical procedure.

:woohoo: :sarcasm:

[flpoljunkie]

5. Sadly, we have to work with the Dem Congress we have, not the Dem Congress we want.

The Congress beholden to special interests to fill their campaign coffers, because we do not demand otherwise.

[flpoljunkie]

7. Gallup: More Americans pro-life than pro-choice. Sadly, R's won with a relentless campaign

More Americans “Pro-Life” Than “Pro-Choice” for First Time

Also, fewer think abortion should be legal “under any circumstances”

by Lydia Saad

PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves "pro-life" on the issue of abortion and 42% "pro-choice." This is the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.



http://www.gallup.com/poll/118399/more-americans-pro-life-than-pro-choice-first-time.aspx

[cornermouse]

8. Don't let the fact that it and women's rights have been one of the basic planks

of the democratic party for the last 40 years keep you from ripping it out and throwing it away.....

[flpoljunkie]

10. The bill won't get out of the House without passage of Stupak's amendment

That's a tragic, but inevitable fact.

[Aramchek]

9. even on this, the eve of our Success, you spread your derision

[seafan]

11. Thank you, Jane Hamsher, for shaming Planned Parenthood into action.

Rather late to this party, I'd say.



Jane Hamsher writes, Saturday November 7, 2009 9:17 am

There’s a shit storm going down on TV right now on CSPAN as the health care bill hits the floor of the House.

Thank you Democrats, for making women take a punch in the throat from a bunch of old men who have spent the better part of the last century avoiding their own problems. So Rahm and Obama (who did nothing to stop it) can have their “w”:

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops delivered a critical endorsement to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday by signing off on late-night agreement to grant a vote on an amendment barring insurance companies that participate in the exchange from covering abortions.

“Passing this amendment allows the House to meet our criteria of preserving the existing protections against abortion funding in the new legislation,” the Bishops wrote in a letter to individual members. “Most importantly, it will ensure that no government funds will be used for abortion or health plans which include abortion.”

Well, you have to give the culture warriors something, so they can go around cheering about the big victory that they got in this bill. So happy to have the chance to line it all up for you all.

Thank you, Planned Parenthood and NARAL, from the bottom of my heart, for sitting on your hands and enabling this shit. Hope you have fun at all those Common Purpose meetings, those cocktail parties at the Pelosi’s.

You own this one.

It’s not like they haven’t been perfecting this act for a long time. Helping the Democrats stay in power by giving them the Official Good Gyno Seal of Approval even when they do things like — oh, I don’t know, voting for Samuel Alito and tell rape victims to take a cab to another hospital if they want to get Plan B contraception.

Could they whip the pro-choice women to block the rule if they want to? Of course they could. Yank their endorsements and they could cause havoc in the Democratic party. But they won’t, because Nancy Keenan and Cecile Richards value their own personal position in the veal pen pecking order WAY too much for that.

One of the things that made a fight for a public option possible was because there were no “veal pen” validators occupying the health care space. Nobody knows who HCAN is. The White House tried to press the unions and other veal pen groups into service but progressives standing there ready to shoot on sight made everyone else back away for fear of losing their own credibility.

People think the “veal pen” phenomenon is insignificant, but it’s not. The abortion fight — like the environmental fight — is extremely difficult to wage online, because you can’t activate those who care about the issue if the “brand names,” the issue validators, are telling them everything is fine either by action or inaction. And that’s exactly what the Democrats — from the White House on down to Nancy Pelosi and the House leadership — want right now.

But let’s be clear about this. The only reason that we are in the position where the price of passing health care reform is allowing even liberal Marcy Kaptur to sneeringly dismiss choice activists as narrow class warriors who don’t care about working women is because Planned Parenthood and NARAL have allowed it to happen. They collect millions of dollars in revenue each year. They’ve exacted no price from the Marcy Kapturs of the world, who actually have to care what liberals think of them, and focused instead on anti-choice Republicans who are only empowered by their ire. They have no scalps. There is no price for bucking Planned Parenthood and NARAL. It isn’t a fight that the Democrats want to spend “political capital” on, and these groups insure that they don’t have to.

Forget about the fact that more Americans are now anti-choice than pro-choice for the first time since Gallup has been polling the issue. More and more Democrats in Congress each year are anti-choice, despite the fact that the party is . It’s acceptable now. These groups have the lobbyists, the money, the access, and their leadership uses it for their own personal advancement while the cause they purport to defend withers on the vine.

The national Planned Parenthood organization listed $126 million in assets in 2007. Cecile Richards made $385,163 (PDF). The state chapters whose employees put their lives on the line so women can have the right to choose deserve support and protection within the Democratic party that she is not providing.

NARAL paid Nancy Keenan $145,538 from the Foundation (PDF) in 2007, which listed total assets of $4,119,329. But the NARAL PAC reports $87,125 cash on hand as of September 30, 2009.

They knew this was coming since at least July 1 — and they didn’t even raise money for the fight.

And we finally have this today from Planned Parenthood:


Planned Parenthood Statement Opposing Stupak/Pitts Amendment, November 7, 2009


In this tardy statement today, PP goes on to mention the opposition to this amendment from five major newspaper editorial pages. Trying to piggyback onto this opposition now, and at this late date, is an embarrassing move by PP.


They deserve humiliation for not fighting for women's rights in this bill.



Once again, kudos to Jane Hamsher for never quitting.




(bold type added)

[ipaint]

12. It just keeps getting worse. n/t