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Stupak Is the Last Straw—No More Caving!

Women should not 'take one for the team' on abortion coverage

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 16, 2009 11:12 AM CST

(Newser) – Painting the Stupak-Pitts amendment as a necessary evil—a concession women should make for the “greater good” of health care reform—is ridiculous, Katha Pollitt writes. Women have been consistently sidelined by the “theocrats and male chauvinists” throwing their weight around in the Democratic Party. “Why don't you take one for the team for a change and see how you like it?” she says, suggesting that instead of women caving on abortion coverage, maybe men could cave on, say, coverage for Viagra or prostate cancer.

Even President Obama is no help, Pollitt writes in the Nation, spouting platitudes like “‘this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill.’ Abortion is health care. That's the whole point.” And the fact that tax-exempt religious organizations are engineering what American taxpayers will or won’t pay for is not lost on Pollitt, who doesn’t like supporting their "misogynist fairy tales and sour-old-man hierarchies.” Pro-choicers are fed up with taking hits for the team, she says, and without them there’s not “much of a team” at all.

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Abortion rights activists (AP Photo)

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You know what I don't want to hear right now about the Stupak-Pitts amendment banning abortion coverage from federally subsidized health insurance policies? That it's the price of reform, and prochoice women should shut up. - Katha Pollitt

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 24 comments

Face-Of-RNC

Nov 17, 2009 12:02 PM CST

The bill provided no money for abortion before the stupak ammendment. You're arguing about something on which you don't have the facts. Stupak's goes further and prevents the purchase of insurance from any company that provides abortion coverage even to those who pay soley from private funds. This is religion taking over government.

Face-Of-RNC

Nov 17, 2009 11:57 AM CST

dly - If taking money from the government is wrong, then your first argument is with corporations and corporate welfare. The trillions stolen from taxpayers by corporations overshadows anything provided to individuals. As for early term abortion, the supreme court has spoken, women have a right to it legally. None of your rants or opinions matter.

WallyEFunk

Nov 17, 2009 6:22 AM CST

Not the way I like it.But do you really prefer to have un- wanted children, born,because they can't afford an abortion, to be sold for drug money and later find there little bodies on the side of the road as garbage. All those against abortion, let PPL know here, how many kids you have adopted.

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Politics • Health

Congress • women • legislation • health care reform • pro-choice activists • Obama administration • abortion debate • Stupak-Pitts • Katha Pollitt

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Stupak Is the Last Straw—No More Caving!