Posted on 11/07/2009 5:26:39 PM PST by cmj328
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A handful of pro-life Republicans in Congress have a difference of opinion on legislative strategy and it has produced a friction that has blossomed during the debate on the pro-abortion health care bill. The difference concerns whether the Stupak Amendment could result in helping the health care bill.
The pro-life movement has been fighting for months to get language included in the health care reform bill to make sure it does not fund abortions through the public option and the affordability credits.
After refusing pro-life Rep. Bart Stupak a vote on his amendment to stop abortion funding, Speaker Nancy Pelosi caved in on Friday night and allowed a vote today because enough pro-life and moderate Democrats threatened to defect and vote against the bill.
Pelosi allowed the vote but, during the debate today, House Democrats refused to say whether they would keep the Stupak amendment in the bill as it moves along in the process, even if it is approved.
Sensing that and worrying that adding the amendment would allow more votes on the bill itself from pro-life Democrats who would otherwise vote against it should it lack the Stupak amendment, some pro-life Republicans plan to vote "present" on the Stupak amendment.
Rep. John Shadegg, an Arizona Republican who is pro-life, has been emailing back and forth today about the amendment vote and is the leading lawmaker who may vote present. He even signed a letter calling on Congress to allow the Stupak amendment vote.
He disagrees with groups like the Family Research Council and Americans United for Life who have said they will score any present votes as a no vote against the pro-life amendment.
Shadegg told Politico this afternoon that this is a “bad call” for pro-life organizations and he doesn't want to “give a vote away” to pro-life groups that he believes would help ensure passage of the health care reform bill.
“(Nancy) Pelosi is speaker and she’s pro abortion every minute of every hour of every day as speaker,” Shadegg said. “This is a vote to help her move the bill forward.”
“This is a gut-wrenching issue for a lot of people,” Shadegg said. “But I won't support Pelosi’s bill, which is not pro-life at all.”
Shadegg said he expected four other pro-life Republicans to go along with voting present on the amendment -- which could jeopardize passage of the Stupak amendment and keep abortion funding in the bill.
Politico indicates Republican Reps. Phil Gingrey, Steve King and Scott Garrett are likely to vote present.
National Right to Life legislative director Douglas Johnson told LifeNews.com he is very disappointed to hear some pro-life members will vote present. His group sent a letter to every Republican member of the House urging a yes vote on the Stupak amendment.
"The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), its state affiliates, and many other pro-life groups -- including major religious bodies -- have worked hard for months to win adoption of the amendment to remove federal funding of abortion from the health care legislation," the letter said.
He noted that 158 republicans signed a letter to Pelosi calling for the vote.
"If lawmakers who claim the label of 'pro-life' now were to betray past commitments and withhold support from the amendment to remove government funding of abortion from the health care bill, by voting 'present,' resulting in the defeat of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, it would be a day that would live in infamy," the Right to Life letter continued.
If you, and those who think like you, end up being the cause of this legislation passing...you can rest assured your days of having ANY influence in ANY political party with a chance to win...are over.
You will be relegated to eternal irrelevance.
You cannot see the forest for the trees.
Stupak amendment is being approved right now. 64 Dems voted AYE. All Republicans voted AYE except three: 1 present, 2 not voting. Tally at this moment is 238-192, with 1 present and 4 NV.
Shadegg was alone in voting present.
“Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My Word will not pass away.” -God
The Stupak amendment vote just gave cover to my Dem legislator. He can now vote for HR3962.
As I wrote earlier, seek moral clarity with your Lord—not in this legislative process.
Well it is going to get thrown out in conference.. Sometimes people are like don’t see the big picture.. Those who vote for this bill will be out in 2011...
Exactly! It is like they are actually working against their own principals.
Ummm, principles.
If it’s thrown out in conference, the USCCB is likely to oppose the final bill.
I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE USCCB THINKS.. I’M NOT CATHOLIC.. WE HAVE THING CALLED A SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!! This was a smokescreen to dolts like you.
But they can get a bulletin insert placed in every parish in the country--that's tens of millions of voters. So what they think matters in terms of what will pass, and what won't pass, and who will pay the price in the next election, and who won't.
She’s a day late.
The idea of voting present was good one, stopping this pro death for seniors bill by rationing care would have been good. Without the Stupak-Pitts amendment the bill would have failed.
Yes, and he is wrong to do that but that does not diminish the fact he is ardently pro-life. He is just as pro-life as you. Again, you are only disagreeing about strategy. It does no one any good to continue this "I-am-holier-than-you" fight and EV is just as guilty of it as you are.
Exactly, and you’re just as guilty of it as RTL. Your organization offers no real results to anyone. It divides votes and elects Democrats.
Yes, if the Catholic constituency really cares. They voted 54% for Obama and most Catholics feel that spreading the wealth triumphs the pro-life issue anyway.
I wish your statement was correct.
Our party is a meta-party. We support truly Reaganite Republicans.
However, folks like yourself who have turned just plain nasty Alinskyite mean make me want to burn your whole party down to the ground.
“All of us who value the sanctity of life are grateful for the success of the pro-life majority in the House this evening in its battle against federal funding of abortion in this bill...The victory tonight to amend the bill and eliminate that federal funding for abortion was great”
—Sarah Palin
Well, you got your amendment and here is the scuttlebutt today.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382216/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382241/posts
It is just like we said, it was a squishy amendment anyway, it no more protected life than it protected us from the IRS. It was there to give cover for those who have a pro-life constituency.
You want to fight by ethical rules, you want to believe that people mean what they say but I’ve been into politics long enough to know that they don’t play by those rules and if you think they do then you’ve already lost the game.
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