6:21 pm - 11/09/2009
'THIS IS A HEALTH CARE BILL, NOT AN ABORTION BILL'
In an interview with ABC News' Jake Tapper President Obama said he did not support any change in current abortion laws through the health care bill -- a implicit rebuke to the House for passing an amendment that could considerably restrict women's access to abortions. The president said that he doesn't want to change "the status quo" one way or another.
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In an interview with ABC News' Jake Tapper President Obama said he did not support any change in current abortion laws through the health care bill -- a implicit rebuke to the House for passing an amendment that could considerably restrict women's access to abortions. The president said that he doesn't want to change "the status quo" one way or another.
TAPPER: Here's a question a lot of Senate Democrats want to know. You said, when you gave your joint address to Congress, that under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions. This amendment passed Saturday night which not only prohibits abortion coverage in the public option, but also prohibits women who receive subsidies from taking out plans that -- that provide abortion coverage. Does that meet the promise that you set out or does it over reach, does it go too far?
OBAMA: You know, I laid out a very simple principle, which is this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill. And we're not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortions. And I want to make sure that the provision that emerges meets that test -- that we are not in some way sneaking in funding for abortions, but, on the other hand, that we're not restricting women's insurance choices, because one of the pledges I made in that same speech was to say that if you're happy and satisfied with the insurance that you have, that it's not going to change. So, you know, this is going to be a complex set of negotiations. I'm confident that we can actually arrive at this place where neither side feels that it's being betrayed. But it's going to take some time.
TAPPER: Do you think that amendment is status quo or does it lean a little bit in one direction or the other?
OBAMA: I think that there are strong feelings on both sides. And what that tells me is that there needs to be some more work before we get to the point where we're not changing the status quo. And that's the goal. The goal here is to make sure that people who have health insurance have greater stability and security, people who don't have health insurance get the ability to buy it affordably and that we're driving down costs.
And, you know, I think everybody understands that there's going to be work to be done on the Senate side. It's not going to match up perfectly with the House side. But obviously, it was a historic night for the House. We've never been this far. And I'm very confident that my colleagues in the Senate are going to say to themselves that we've got to get this done.
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MY MIND IS BLOWN AND MY LIFE COMPLETE
"we're not restricting women's insurance choices, because one of the pledges I made in that same speech"
Yeah, Obama, you make a lot of pledges. How many of those have you taken a strong position on and/or worked on significantly since coming into office?
I thought the whole point of this health care bill was to make health care more accessible but I guess making abortion cheaper and more widely available (possibly) to many women across the country wouldn't be accomplishing this at all!
Quite a lot, actually.
YEAHS OUR HEALTHCARE DOES SUCK A PiLE OF ASS...i HOPE THEY DONT COPY CANADA'S THOUGH BECAUSE i KNOW THAT LiKE PPL WiTH TERMiNAL DiSEASES LiKE CANCER HAVE TO WAiT OVER 6 MONTHS FOR A SiMPLE BLOOD TEST BECAUSE YOUR JUST A FUCKiNG NUMBER AND YOU DONT GET SERViCED OR HELPED UNTiL YOUR NUMBER iS CALLED SiNCE iTS RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT...AND i HEARD THAT UNDER THiS NEW REFORM THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE ELDERLY OR REALLY SiCK WiLL NOT BE ABLE TO BE TREATED ANYMORE BECAUSE THEiR GONNA DiE ANWAYS
She is 24-years old.
OBAMA: I think that there are strong feelings on both sides.
Oh, I'm sorry. I must have misread. Did he ask about the opinions of both sides?
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I understand why he has to be vague. Doesn't mean I can't be pissed, though.
Saying "This is a health care bill, not an abortion bill." doesn't make sense because abortion should be part of health care. They are not mutually exclusive.
Well, obviously, because something has been in place for a long time, it shouldn't be changed.
Was that the most vague answer ever?
Part of me is all "GRRRRRRRRR, women's health!" and part of me is "HOLY SHIT, WE NEED TO PASS THIS SUCKER!!!"
I'm all confused.
IT'S A FUCKING MEDICAL PROCEDURE. It's not like going shopping for a couch, it's not like deciding if you want to wear a red sweater or a blue vest, it's not like being torn over whether or not you want that Snickers in the vending machine or get some carrots instead. All of the above is fucking trivial. IT'S A MEDICAL PROCEDURE THAT HAS A LASTING AFFECT ON LIVES, PERMANENTLY.
Christ, the disappointment.
Edited at 2009-11-10 12:06 am (UTC)
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Barac
But to outright ban it from being covered - period - is ridiculous.
today is almost there.
i know abortion's aren't free where i am from and hardly even private insurance companies pay for them.
i think obama's doing what he can in the current political climate. if he went and said he wants abortions to be free for everyone, all shit would break lose.
It's really a catch 22 - allow coverage for abortion, don't get the reform, don't allow coverage, even from private insurers, fuck over another group of people. :/
I'm willing to bet that he's looking to use reconciliation to remove any abortion legislation from the bill.
Edited at 2009-11-10 12:42 am (UTC)
these books make me sad. it likes to point out all the "fucked up shit" haha
Welcome to the world of politics; I'm content with the answer he gave.