I am not saying that Barack Obama is himself a pro-lifer. But, unlike the Clintons and their courtiers, he can at least see that they might have a point, and he is able to work with them accordingly. And unlike the Republican Party, he has no scorn for them on the grounds that "they have nowhere else to go". They have now.
But the Republicans sure know how to get the pro-life rank and file riled up. I think the whole Tea Party movement may go into overdrive over health care reform. Republican Representative Randy Neugebauer of Texas apparently yelled "baby killer" or (according to Neugebauer) "it’s a baby killer" during a speech by Rep. Bart Stupak (yes, Bart Stupak!). And despite Obama pledging to sign an executive order prohibiting federal funding of abortion, Stupak has just had a pending "Defender of Life" award by the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund revoked, and a lot of pro-lifers are coming out attacking Stupak as a traitor.
ReplyDeleteSo my question is: what is anti-life about the new health care bill? My understanding is that it would do largely nothing to change abortion law in the United States, but with the executive order, at least there would be no federal funding of abortion. I am starting to wonder if the pro-life movement in the U.S. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party.
"with the executive order, at least there would be no federal funding of abortion"
ReplyDeleteThere wouldn't have been, anyway. Nelson-Casey was in the Bill, and with the Executive Order approcahes the strngth of Stupak-Pitts. All in all, it should have been the House Bill, not the Senate Bill. What say the "pro-life" Republicans to that?
Mr Piccolo,
ReplyDeleteNo, the problem is that the Senate bill (not the former House bill with Stupak language) has a loophole that will permit federal funding of abortions in an indirect (but likely widespread) manner. The Executive Order does not matter. Executive Orders are generally of questionable legality in and of themselves and rely on the Executive to enforce them. Constitutionally, they cannot supersede Congressionally-mandated law (though they generally do when dealing with agencies subordinate to the President like intell and military).
Therefore, the Executive Order is as good as Obama's intentions. And Obama favours virtually no regulations on abortion...I think perhaps he is more extreme than Clinton on the issue, even if he appears non-confrontational.
Of course the biggest organised pro-life groups are subservient to the GOP, but I think most all pro-life activists (including Catholic bishops) are angry about what has happened. Stupak sold out.
Or he played the long game. People will soon be crying out for the House Bill, including Stupak-Pitts, to fix the faults in this one.
ReplyDelete@Mr. Lindsay and Thomas,
ReplyDeleteThank you both for the replies. Very informative. I am still not sure what I think of the health care bill, so any more food for thought helps.