Democratic Representative Bart Stupak is fighting the good fight to prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. According to the New York Times, he is prepared to vote against final passage if the bill gets abortion coverage wrong. Here’s an excerpt:
‘With final negotiations on a health care overhaul beginning this week, complaints about “the evil Stupak amendment,” as the congressman dryly called it over dinner here recently, are likely to grow even louder. The amendment prevents women who receive federal insurance subsidies from buying abortion coverage — but critics assert it could cause women who buy their own insurance difficulty in obtaining coverage.
‘Mr. Stupak insists that the final bill include his terms, which he says merely reflect current law. If he prevails, he will have won an audacious, counterintuitive victory, forcing a Democratic-controlled Congress to pass a measure that will be hailed as an anti-abortion triumph. If party members do not accept his terms — and many vow they will not — Mr. Stupak is prepared to block passage of the health care overhaul.’
The rest of the article chronicles how Stupak has become somewhat of a pariah in the Democrat party for his stand. Good for him. This is the kind of courage I wish we saw more of from politicians. Read the rest here.
4 Comments
David Vinzant
It’s “Democratic Party,” not “Democrat party” and Stupak is a “Democratic representative” not a “Democrat representative.”
Democrat is the noun, while Democratic is the adjective. Perhaps you are confused because Republican is both a noun and an adjective. Or perhaps you’ve been listening to Rush Limbaugh for too long. As far as I can tell, he is the one who popularized using “Democrat” as an adjective as a way of trying to insult Democrats. Instead, it only makes the speaker or writer seem uneducated.
Mike Bird
Denny, if I was American it is guys like Stupak that I’d probably gravitate too – pro-life Dems! Sadly, I just can’t do Republicans.
Denny Burk
Unfortunately, Mike, there are too few like him.
J Pilgrim
Maybe you’ve covered this ground before but isn’t the “Stupak amendment” just an argument over how to arrange the Tang on the Challenger? And isn’t it just downright — and I mean downright — silly to imagine that you could pass any sort of socialized health care and not have abortions covered? If not this year, then in two years, or ten?
Lop off that Hydra’s head. The monster Incrementalism grows back two more.