I was excited to hear that the US House passed the Health Care Reform Bill last week. I was disappointed, however, when I read about the Stupak Amendment (which Rachel Maddow lovingly refers to as the "Poison Pill"). The Stupak Amendment is a part of the Health Care Reform Bill that could qualify as the biggest restriction on abortion funding since the Hyde Amendment and the biggest restriction on abortion access this generation has seen.
Probably the scariest part of the bill for me is the fact that it would only support a very narrow selection of cases:
"Plans in the Exchange can only cover abortions in the case of rape or incest or "where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death." Given insurance companies' dexterity in denying claims, we can predict what they'll do with that language. Cases that are excluded: where the health but not the life of the woman is threatened by the pregnancy, severe fetal abnormalities, mental illness or anguish that will lead to suicide or self-harm, and the numerous other reasons women need to have an abortion." -- Jessica Arons
As much as I support Obama, and understand the importance of universal health care -- I believe that health care reform without comprehensive women's health care is in fact NOT health care reform. Adding that amendment to this bill is a sad and insulting breach to women's rights. It gives me a flash of a world that I see as scary, unsupporting, misogynistic and backwards.
Read the article at the Huffington Post for the reasons why the Stupak Amendment is a monumental setback for abortion access.
