Governor ( Heineman R-Ne) gives award, gets earful (No one should be denied prenatal care in Ne)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100302/NEWS01/703029905#governor-gives-award-gets-earful

By Paul Hammel

LINCOLN — The Academy Awards ceremony isn't the only place where politics creeps into acceptance speeches.

Saturday night at the State Capitol, Omaha philanthropist Dick Holland used his comments in accepting the Distinguished NEBRASKAlander Award to criticize a policy of the man handing out the awards, Gov. Dave Heineman.

“No one should be denied prenatal care in Nebraska,” Holland, who described himself as “free-thinking” and “a liberal Democrat,” told the gathering.

The day before, Heineman, a conservative Republican, had announced his opposition to a legislative proposal to resume government-funded prenatal services for low-income women who are illegal immigrants.

Holland, a retired advertising agency executive, was being honored for his support of the arts, the environment and education at the annual Statehood Day Dinner in the Capitol Rotunda.

The United States is a nation of immigrants who came here and still come here to better their lives, he said Monday.

FULL story sat link.

[tanyev]

1. Bam! The governor must have been clenching his teeth to even present the award,

much less the smack-down that followed.

[Omaha Steve]

2. Kick

[Vinca]

3. The Republican governor must figure it makes more sense

for a pregnant, illegal immigrant with a high risk pregnancy to give birth to a child that needs months and months of care in a neonatal intensive care unit . . . in his state. These people have no heart and no common sense.

[adamuu]

4. What a cold, spiteful policy

that hurts more than the woman.

[rbixby]

5. Funny how they're so anti-abortion because it 'kills babies'.....

Yet they want to deny prenatal care, which in essence could be killing a lot of babies and mothers too.