All But One Republican Vote Against Health Bill Despite Abortion Provision
Related subjects: Denver Lessing, Healthcare Policy, Legislation, Opinion, U.S. Politics, U.S. news Comments (1)
The Democrats celebrated a major legislative victory last night, when they passed historic health reform legislation. Only one Republican joined in passing the measure, despite a last-minute success in attaching a partial ban on federal funding for abortions. With that provision in the final bill, the near unanimous Republican no-vote was effectively a vote against the party’s own idea of barring federal funds from paying for abortion procedures.
The same Republican party that attacks every opponent who ever voted against anything attached to any larger bill has just voted against a bill containing a provision that restricts federal funding for abortions, one of their main stated goals as a party. They would argue, clearly, that they didn’t wan the larger bill to pass, so they voted for the amendment but against the bill: they want to have their cake and eat it too.
Abortion was at issue last night and the Republican party abandoned their own cause, for political reasons. Dozens of GOP lawmakers represent states whose populations desperately need comprehensive health insurance reform, with millions having no insurance or on the verge of having none and de facto monopolies choking the entire state economy with extortionate prices. They had an opportunity to support refom that would ensure most of those people, save thousands of lives, reduce costs and revive their local economies, and not even an amendment barring federal funds from subsidizing insurance that covers elective abortions could move them to vote for it.
They told us why a long time ago: they believe they can hurt Pres. Obama, perhaps even “break” him, if they were to defeat health reform legislation. But, with every level of government in need of a solution to the crippling weight of mounting health costs, with personal bankruptcies at an all-time high, a record number linked to healthcare costs and those costs projected to jump by 10% or more next year alone, they put their opposition to Pres. Obama above service to their constituents or to the pro-life cause.
It can be fairly said that the 176 Republicans who voted against the entire health reform package, including the anti-abortion provision, felt that opposing Pres. Obama was a moral and political priority, that they needed to oppose what they view as undue “interference” in a flawed healthcare system. But that should be remembered the next time any of them ask to be taken seriously as devoutly pro-life politicians: 176 Republicans in the House of Representatives will subsume their defense of life to a petty partisan scheme, even if a successful no-vote would mean crippling costs for government out into the future and tens of thousands of innocents dying each year, even when they know the House will pass the bill.
Even then, they will fail to support passage of a momentous pro-life provision included in the legislation, in order to serve two interests they view as higher: 1) hurt Obama politically and 2) preserve the profit margins of anti-market insurers whose business model is bleeding American businesses, failing to treat the sick and dying and bankrupting families.
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