Is Abortion Still a Problem for Health Reform?

Any abortion language will be a problem if it is taken out after 3 months.

Amy Sullivan:
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Will you ever be responsible for writing on topics other than abortion or personality and scandal gossip, or is your career permanently stuck there?

“No one knows. According to reports from leadership staff, the White House has not discussed the issue with congressional Democrats. And no one in the House leadership has whipped the issue. But it seems like a pretty key question Democrats would want answered before going forward, no?”

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I do feel vindicated now. Thank you Amy.
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And, thank you for reporting rather than bloviation.

Thanks, Amy. Please post more often, rants from others aside If there are any complications as you’ve hinted, do the WH and D leaders have a Plan B? re: your article, who are all the members of the four groups you listed, Amy? It’s ok to drop names and stay polite.

“But it seems like a pretty key question Democrats would want answered before going forward, no?”

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Not only is this the key issue of whether Democrats can successfully push this bill through on reconciliation or other under the table means. It is the only issue that drew enough votes from Nancy Pelosi that caused her to buckle under the pressure and consent to the Stupak Amendment.
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It is the issue which will prevent the House from passing the Senate bill as written. Despite Ms. Tumulty’s tireless rant on hoping for some miracle based on the recission of the “Cadillac” part of the bill, the abortion language was the most volitile part of the bill for the House.
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No other part of the House bill divided Democrats more than the Stupak Amendment. To my knowledge nothing has changed on it so far as the House is concerned. Why would anyone think differently now? Especially with all the vulnerable Blue Dog seats up for re-election this year. They will stick even harder to the language than ever.

Basketball. You forgot basketball.
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I don’t think it’s Amy’s career that’s permanently stuck on those topics.

You left out part of her beat which is to elevate the political opinions of religious folk to a level above that generally accorded to secular thinkers, writers, and groups.

You know the typical Amy Sullivan “What Catholics Think About X” post that’s never balanced by “What Scientologists Think About X” or “What Atheists Think About X.”

How can Atheism be a religion when there’s no god to worship? Maybe Agnosticism counts, but are we sure?

How can Atheism be a religion when there’s no god to worship?
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You’re right, it’s not, although the rightists like to paint lack of religion as fanatical and jihadist, so that they can claim (false) equivalence.

“How can Atheism be a religion…?”

Who said that it is?

And you can’t really talk about what catholics, or any other religious groups, think. They don’t think, they believe. That’s what religion is all about.

If the dems do have a plan B to deal with the abortion issue I hope they have the good sense to not call it ‘Plan B’.

We don’t have a god? Then how come when I used to drink in his honor I used to kneel down and worship at his porcelain throne?

Evidently John Boehner hopes it’s a problem because at the 11th hour, he invited Bart Stupak to come to the summit. So nice to see Republicans reaching out to Democrats in the spirit of bipartisanship.

The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com

In a word, no. The problem, if any, is the determination of some public officials to impose their religious beliefs on all Americans and the lack of courage of others to stand up against such theocratic tyranny – even if the consequence is the death of 123 “post-born” persons every single day.

“Right to Life” my Aunt Fanny. This is all about “Power to Control.”

bobcn1, I had the same thought and couldn’t come up with a way to express it. Good on you.

Everytime Amy does one of these posts, I like to post a link to a feature that the Inquirer has every Monday about a child seeking adoption. Let’s not forget there are a lot of living children in need.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/84936127.html

I’m waiting for a conspiracy theory style story about some supposed link between the Vatican and Notre Dame.

And there is the underlying hypocrisy with the true blue (or is it tea bagger) conservative position – Less government and no-choice (i.e. pro-life).
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How can you have less government when you want the government to intervene into the private life of a mother and force the decision on her?

You can get a $10,000 tax credit for adoption, courtesy of the limited government, religion crazed tea baggers. But regardless, the extremists in the abortion issue should not be allowed to sabotage HCR. Take elective abortion funding out. It is not really necessary to the cause. Hold a big prayer rally announcing the move, and get on with issues that really matter.

How can you have less government when you want the government to intervene into the private life of a mother and force the decision on her?
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As Shakespeare would say, “Aye, there’s the rub…”

If Bart Stupak is really concerned with protecting innocent life, he’d admit that no language is truly needed here due to the Hyde amendment, and that the Senate language is 95% of what he wanted anyhow, and he and his co-horts would vote for the reconciliation and Senate bills.

But, no, he’d rather make a point than help save 40,000+ lives per year lost to inadequate health insurance.