One of the many sticking points in the democrat’s massive health care plan has been public funding abortions. Regardless of your views regarding abortion, having tax dollars pay for them is a deal breaker for many people. In order to gain the support of US Conference of Catholic Bishops and a group of democrats who opposed tax-dollar funded abortions, Nancy Pelosi opted to allow the Stupak Amendment to come up for a vote on the floor of the United States Congress. The abortion restriction amendment passed in the House today clearing the way for healthcare reform to pass. This amendment bans the use of federal funds for abortions.
The passage of the Stupak Amendment is a huge victory for the pro-life community and those concerned that not having conscience clauses in the bill would result in significant shortages of doctors willing to practice under the parameters set up through the democrat’s health care plan. The bill was sponsored by Bart Stupak, a Michigan democrat, expressed concerns that the bill as it stood could be used to fund abortions from tax-payer dollars. The amendment passed with a 240-194 vote.
This is all part of Nancy Pelosi’s wheeling and dealing to get to the point of being able to take a vote on the massive tax-payer spending spread under the auspices of what the progressives are calling ‘health care reform’. Long and tiresome debating on the floor of the House today was geared towards eventually taking a vote on the bill, but only once Pelosi is certain she’ll have the votes to pass the bill.
With the Stupak Amendment passed, the healtcare bill passed at 11:15 p.m tonight, by an extremely slim margin (220-215). Only one Republican voted for the bill, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, and 39 democrats voted against it. Now it goes to the Senate until the incompetence of Harry Reid, so there is still hope this travesty won’t be perpetrated on the American people against our will.
Here is some more news:
Weasel Zippers - Game Time! House Vote on ObamaCare at 10:00 pm Tonight..Update: Debate Is On, Boehner Kicked Ass..Update: Stupak Amendment Passes…UPDATE: It Passed 220-215 With 1 GOP Vote
Betsy McCaughey gives us some insight into the realities of ObamaCare.
Wake Up America - Pelosi’s ObamaCare Bill will cost us $2.6 Trillion
Pundit and Pund - Senator Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, threatened to have the entire ObamaCare healthcare bill fiasco read on the Senate floor. Oh I wish they would do that!
Big Government - Here we go again: Rostenkowski Health Care and the original town hall protest
IowaHawk - America Take Can Pride In This Historic, Inspirational Disaster
The American Spectator - Pelosi’s Pyrrhic Victory?
Okay, now go read and if you are so inclined, fall to your knees and say a prayer pleading for help and guidance in saving our great Republic.
The video below gives more information about why the Stupak Amendment, the abortion restriction amendment, was a prerequisite to getting the heath care reform bill passed in the House of Representatives.
Health Care Bill needs conscience clause protections - Video
November 7th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
This is a big step to improve the lives of many Americans, including our own. No doubt there will be some problems, but its well time the United States makes some progressive reforms of its social programs. I hope in the reconcilliation process with the senate some of the republican ideas about cost containment and tort reform become incorporated. Everyone should take proud ownership in their nascent right to health care. Frankly, the whole health cares system needs some smart reform. If cost containment can be incorporated successfully we can have both health reform and reformed prices. The private health insurers could, in the marketplace, field less expensive and more creative policies to simply grab market share from the public option. Even that would be a good thing for America and its, (our) people.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:25 am
the stupek amendment was a ruse to give blue dogs cover at home so they could vote for this disaster of a bill
November 8th, 2009 at 2:27 am
Brian, you know nothing. this bill is a disaster. it is all about GOVT CONTROL. it is a job killer, tax raising, wealth re-distributing, govt takeover.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:27 am
Brian, are you completely agenda driven or just totally naive?
November 8th, 2009 at 3:21 am
brian is a fool with a fairly decent vocabulary.
November 8th, 2009 at 3:22 am
actually, i deplore name calling, so i apologize. perhaps brian is simply misinformed.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:46 am
I agree with Brian’s sentiments about desired changes in health insurance. Unfortunately, this monster of a bill will do more harm than good.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Tim V,
How will the market react to this? I am glad that I have been slowly diversifying my portfolio over the last 2 months.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Brian:
This bill will destroy American no question. It raises taxes,will lead us to single payer healthcare,destroys small business,kills millions of jobs through both tax increases and government mandates,and it destroys medicine. The doctors aren’t going to except it plain and simple. 45% of doctors say they would consider leaving medicine if this was passed. 43% of people in high school that want to be doctors when there older say they would change there career goals. And 60% say they would consider not going into medicine. The doctors wont take this don’t you see it. And I have proof both my dad and uncle are doctors. And they told me if this passes there out and they’ll just go into investing or start a small business. Than I said well this bill kills both business and medicine so find something else.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:57 am
Also why are they opposed to loser pays malpractice reform. Brian can you please tell me why there opposed to it. Most doctors go there whole career without losing a single case. So why should they have to pay to beat these Lionel Huts lawyers.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:58 am
Lionel Huts was a character on the Simpsons.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:58 am
Yet he left the show when the voice actor was shot by his wife.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:59 am
That’s a sad story. The funniest story I heard was when the shamwow’s Vince. Was arrested for beating up a hooker on the side walk.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:02 am
On the issue of taxpayer funded abortion. I don’t like it, but they could of mentioned more.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:03 am
Brian:
Why do you feel it’s right for people who don’t deserve it to get free healthcare?
November 8th, 2009 at 6:05 am
this is a quote from the former president dush. “DEAL WITH IT” LOL
November 8th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Five votes and there calling it a win. I mean with a 60 seat lead it’s hard not to get it passed.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Thanks, Brian. I believe this bill will work out for the best. Change is in the air after moderate republicans and liberal democrats in heavy conservative district got elected in the last vote party, despite strident whoremongering by the ‘teabaggers’. People see righwingers as obstructionists to progress and the final kill will be in the next elecion.
And I don’t know where “Charles” got his statistics but I saw the EXACT opposite.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:52 am
I think it’s a shame that health care is such a politicized issue in America. Regardless of this bill I see it as a patriotic goal to never have to turn away an American in need of medical treatment from any hospital because of lack of money. That is just heartless.
Judging by the huge cost of healthcare in the States compared to any other nation on the planet one thing is clear: big pharma & co. are thriving at the expense of all Americans. there is no healthy competition in this market to give consumers some leverage. that has to change.
paying less for health care is in anyone’s interest. can we all agree on that?
of course, whether this bill is gonna bring about this change a different question.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:23 am
as I said I am for a good tort reform amendment and an series of amendments to address the cost plus defensive medicine over-expenses for health care. they did put in an amendment blocking federal dollars to abortion. I actually wonder if the public option would cost more then they think, but that depends what is covered. I don’t oppose any draconian measures to fine or incarcerate people who don’t buy insurance, but it ought to be incentivized strongly and the public should be better educated. Plus we need a more vigorous national vaccine program and public efforts on obesity, hypertension, and diabetes prevention. I am sure some of the problems it brings would be responsible delt with and fixed or why on earth do we have a government at all? We trust them with nuclear wepons and aircraft carriers, so why can’t they, with some prodding get this fairly right?
November 8th, 2009 at 7:34 am
oh, I mean I do oppose measures that would force people to buy insurance or fine and incarcerte them, but we do need to have an incentive program thats really attractive.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:44 am
Where is the common sense here? Had the Stupak amendment not passed, neither would have the monstrous, unconstitutional health bill. Republicans have no guarantee the amendment will even survive the Senate. They should have voted NO on Stupak and the health care bill would not have gone through.
November 8th, 2009 at 8:35 am
why do republicans so support and defend the private health insurance industry even when its not in the people’s best interests? why did the recently proposed republican bill look like it was mostly written by the insurance industry? I mean its as obvious as it gets.
November 8th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Abortion is not permissible according to my Religion after the first 4 months of the pregnancy cycle — this is because there is a narration from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and commendations be upon him) in which he clarifies that the spirit is blown into the fetus after 120 days — so at this point what is in the womb becomes a human life. It is said that before this point abortion is permissible — I do not know if their are pre-conditions to its permissibility before the 4 month point. This I understood from a fatwa (i.e. verdict) given by a Muslim Scholar.
I take issue with the people in this country who seem to love abortion so much and think that it is a fundamental right in the later stages of pregnancy.
Once I was with a friend who’s wife had a miscarriage at like 4 months and three weeks, i think, into her pregnancy. I saw the little baby girl because her father was preparing her for prayer and burial. She had eyes forming and fingers and toes and legs and arms and a tiny little nose forming and she was pinkish-red though her parents were black people… May Allah have mercy on her and join her with her mother and father in the Afterlife in the Gardens of Paradise.
I saw a man on the news before who was bragging about how he does late-term abortions and was teaching others to do late-term abortions… as if he was doing a good deed!
If people dont want to have unwanted children they should stop having intercourse with people they are not supposed to be doing it with or take the appropriate measures if they are married to try and avoid conception in the first place.
November 8th, 2009 at 9:23 am
try to* avoid