Attention all pro-choice readers: extremely important to act NOW

by: Clem Guttata

Sat Nov 07, 2009 at 16:05:25 PM EST

I'm too pissed about the amendment forced through for a vote by Bart Stupak (D-Mich) to write a full-fledged diary about it. There's a lot of excellent coverage at FDLACTION (emphasis mine):

Multiple sources are reporting that Stupak's anti-abortion amendment, that would basically prevent all insurance plans sold in the individual and small group market from covering elective abortion, is expected to pass. It would be the most far reaching restriction place on abortion at the national level in years. Moments ago on MSNBC, Bart Stupak (D-Mich) affirmatively said that his amendment will pass.

I warned last week that Reps. Rahall and Mollohan were actively supporting Rep. Stupak. If you're unhappy about that, contact them now and urge them to vote against the Stupak amendment. Tell them health care reform is no time to limit access to legal health care procedures.

(We're not there yet, but if the Stupak amendment passes it's fine with me if any liberal legislators decide to vote against the entire bill because of it.)

Update Call Rep. Capito, too. She's a member of the pro-choice Republican woman's caucus. She is supposedly pro-choice (even though most of her supporters think otherwise). This is the moment of truth. Call and make sure her office knows you are paying attention.

Update: When I say now, I mean now.

Update Rec'd via email. Health Care for America Now gets it exactly right.

Dear Supporter:

The core premise of health reform is that if you like the coverage you have, you can keep it. Yet for the millions of women whose current insurance plans include coverage for abortion care, that promise may be broken today.

Congressman Stupak wants to place new restrictions on abortion and deny women this coverage. However, the House bill being voted on today already contains a compromise that reflects the status quo and current law: It prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion but still allows women to use their own money to buy the coverage they need.

Your Representative needs to hear from you about this issue RIGHT NOW. Click here to call them and tell them to vote NO on the Stupak amendment.

This amendment will be voted on within hours. Now is not the time to radically change current law and restrict a women's right to chose.

Please call your Representative RIGHT NOW and urge them to vote NO on the Stupak amendment.

Thank you for your quick action!

To your health,

Levana Layendecker
Health Care for America Now

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Shuler, Heath   NC-11
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