Planned Parenthood fires off statement opposing Pelosi healthcare deal with abortion rights foes [View All]

[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