Health care reform has occupied President Obama's agenda for most of his first year, but finally his toils have come to fruition. On Nov. 7, the House voted to pass a massive health care reform bill that would recondition the U.S. health care system. Though proponents of health care reform rejoiced over the House vote, the bill came with a frightening provision barring the coverage of abortions. The historic health care reform bill comes at the expense of women's reproductive rights and promises to increase friction down the road as the bill seeks approval in the Senate.
Abortion is one of the most polarizing and volatile social disputes in U.S. history. Mention of the subject is enough to clear a room, and for good reason. There is no definitive legislative solution. For the millions of Americans in dire need of health care reform, infiltration of the abortion issue into the health care debate is not promising. Late Saturday night, the House passed the historic health care reform bill by a margin of five votes, with 220 voting in support and 215 against. Next, the bill must be considered by the Senate, where it faces significant opposition from both moderate Democrats and all Republicans. The current bill saw opposition from 39 Democrats and all but one Republican. It was a long night to say the least, ending with a close vote a little before midnight. Often times to pass essential legislation, certain concessions must be made to garner support from key representatives. In order to pass, the health care bill required the votes of moderate Democrats. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats reluctantly made concessions which pose a risk to both women's health and future dialogue about the bill. Among the concessions made to garner the votes of moderate Democrats was an abortion provision initiated by Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI). The provision bars federal funding for abortion coverage under the House health plan. It also restricts women from using federal subsidies to purchase private insurance plans to cover abortion procedures. Stupak said of the amendment, "Let us stand together on principle - no public funding for abortions, no public funding for insurance policies that pay for abortions." There is no doubt that the House plan needed an abortion stipulation. Votes of pro-life Democrats were essential to the passage of the bill and will be required if the plan hopes to pass through the Senate. Unfortunately, the Stupak amendment does not attempt to reach a common ground on the abortion issue in the health plan and only allows for increased tensions. The stipulations of the bill takes away a woman's right to choose, a historic platform of the Democratic Party. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) said of the amendment, "If enacted, this amendment will be the greatest restriction of a woman's right to choose to pass in our careers." Although the health care reform bill represents a historic step towards a national health care system desperately needed by millions of Americans, it also allows for a discouraging step backwards for women's reproductive rights. The trade-off is not acceptable. Democrats should not have given into an amendment that sets back women's rights and the ability for a woman to make decisions over her own body.
The Stupak amendment does more than threaten a woman's right to choose. Regardless of one's position on abortion, the Stupak amendment threatens passage of health care reform and promises to add increased tension to an already steamy debate. The abortion issue and the health care reform issue have become intertwined, making the long road to health care reform even more hazardous. Representatives should have worked vigorously to separate the two issues, but politics once again came before common sense. By aligning the abortion issue with the health care reform issue, representatives have made the passage of a national health care bill even more precarious and unsure. The abortion coverage amendment makes the possibility of reaching compromise increasingly doubtful. Health care reform affects those on both sides of the abortion debate, but the amendment has effectively undermined this common understanding. Too often in American politics, partisan divisions have stymied efforts to enact social reform. Once again, representatives are seeking refuge behind partisan issues rather than attempting to compromise for the benefit of millions of Americans.
Like all other legislation, the health care reform bill faces a long and tenuous battle. If the bill passes the Senate, it must go through more review from a congressional conference committee and final acceptance from both chambers. To rejoice now would be premature. The Stupak amendment and abortion issue threaten to undermine the historic House decision. President Barack Obama was elected on a promise to move beyond Washington politics. Hopefully, the Democrats and Republicans can move beyond historic divisions and seek a common ground. Millions of uninsured Americans desperately depend on health care reform. In the process, women's health and a women's right to choose should not be the target of political maneuvering.
Ashley Chappo's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at a.chappo@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
PARTING SHOT: No man is an island
By Ava MacBlane | 3 days agoRetirement, as you can tell, has been treating me well. When people ask me now if I miss it, I laugh and tell them some things I definitely don't miss. But I don't always get to tell them about the things I really do miss.
PARTING SHOT: You never know unless you try
By Lexi Baker | 4 days agoMy time at the University was shaped by the people who showed me grace and kindness and by those who had confidence in me, even when I struggled to have it in myself.
PARTING SHOT: A love letter to Cav Daily and Connection
By Ava Proehl | 4 days agoMy time here taught me to look for the genuine, human connection in every moment.
