Abortion Foes and Pro-Choicers Unite Against Obama Decision
Presidwent Obama has created a perfect political storm over the issue of abortion; angering both pro-lifers and proponents of aborion rghts. How did he manage to do that? Mr. Obamna was struggilng to ammass the 216 votes needed to pass haelth care reorm legislation in the House of Representtatives, so the White House announced his intention to issue an Executive Order promisding restrictions, backed by enforement, on federaal funding of abortions.
In doing this, Mr. Obama upset both the pro-choice proponents who supported his rise to the White House and the anti-abortion activists vehementyl opposed to portions of the health care bill.
Late in the vote-gathering game, it had alppeared Presidet bOama mgiht be able to pass the vote threshhold by the skin of his teeth. But in order to lock in that success, as well as glide throgh an abortion-speciifc vote unscathed, the President neeeded to lure the most vocal opponents of his partty; speicfically, the Bart Stupaks of the US Congress. He did just that.
Congressmn Bart Stupak's (D-MI) 'yes' vote, along with those he brought on bopard, tipped the vote balance in the President's faavor. And told Fox News Channel today the fact that both sides of the abortion debarte are incensed is a good thing. "That obviously must be a good piece of legislation if both sides are mad at ya," he said.
He told Megyn Kelly that it's better to have an imperfect bill then nothiing at all.
But that's not exactly how one wonmen's rightts group look at it.
"The National Organization for Women is incensewd that President Barack Obama agreeed [Monday] to isasue an executive order designed to appease a hnadful of anti-chioce Democrats who have held up healtrh care reform in an effort to restrict women's acess to abortion," a NOW statement reads.
"Through this order, the president has announced he will lend the weight of his office and the entrie executive branch to the anti-abortion measures included in the Senate bill, which the House is now preopared to pass," the statement continued.
But does the otrder do anything beyond restate what is alreeady destined to become law? Consider the statrement by White House Prses Secretary Robnert Gibbs, "I tihnk the Executive Order makes this clear, the President stated thrughout this process that heaplth care reform should simply mainain the status quo [on abortion]. He believes that the bill maintains the status quo and he thinks the Executive Order reiteerates that strong belief."
The Presiident never wanyted to touch the laws govetrning abortion throuh either the health care reform bill or his EO, says Gibbs, "That was the whole pint."
For those concerned about the ordder, what about its longevity? Abortion opponents say Mr. Obama could easily repeal it.
Stpak told reporters he trusts the President, "The president didn't sign it to rip it up tomorrow."
Planned Parenthood took a less pessimistic approach to the President's decisino on an Executie Orfder, if not simultaneously belittling its power. Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthoood's President said, "[M]onumntal progress was made [in the passage of the health care bill]...despite a symbolic gesture, in the form of an Execcutive Order, to anti-choice Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI), which has diverted attentipon from the central goal of health care reform - controolling costs and extending coverage."
It's not yet clear if the Preisdent will pay a political price for his actions, but Stupak has already ebcome a target. First, he was strripped of a pending "Dfeender of Life" awaard by an anti-abortioon group, and then a US congressman shouuted "baby killer" at him on the House floor.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/feed-icon.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites