I Hate Republicans

Posted by BooMan | Oct 5, 2010 | 12 |

Why do we have to put up with this crap?

A bill introduced by Sen. Don White, R-Indiana, would prohibit private health insurance plans sold in Pennsylvania’s state “exchange” — created under the new federal health care law — from offering abortions and require rape victims to report the crime within 72 hours in order to receive an abortion.

The insurance exchanges, which don’t go into effect until 2014, will serve those who do not have access to employer-based health plans, including the unemployed and small business employees.

Under the law, any health insurance plan that contracts with the exchange must create a system to ensure no federal funds are used for abortion coverage — including the collection of two separate payments from the beneficiary, one for abortion coverage and one for all other health care coverage.

The proposed bill would deny insurance plans participating in the exchange from covering abortions except in cases where the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or where the life of the woman is in danger.

The bill would require also rape survivors to personally report the crime and identify the assailant, if known, within 72 hours in order for their health insurance to cover an abortion procedure.

Because, you know, so many women make false accusations of rape so they can receive a subsidy to provide for their abortion.

About The Author

BooMan

Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.

12 Comments

seabe on October 5, 2010 at 12:07 pm

This is why I refuse to endorse ANY government involvement in abortion, even if it prevents women from getting a 3rd trimester abortion for any reason she so chooses. They always go through backdoor ways to make it defacto illegal.

Get the coat hangers ready.
The Voice In The Wilderness on October 5, 2010 at 12:49 pm

Tell me again why I should hope that Stupak get re-elected.
- BooMan on October 5, 2010 at 1:22 pm
  
  He retired.
  - The Voice In The Wilderness on October 5, 2010 at 9:36 pm
    
    Damn! He escaped!
homeruk on October 5, 2010 at 12:57 pm

Can you explain to me why people vote Republican? are
- Errol on October 5, 2010 at 12:58 pm
  
  they attract the meanness vote. p.s. get off my lawn.
Geov Parrish on October 5, 2010 at 1:32 pm

Anyone know what the percentage of rape victims is who don’t report the crime within 72 hours? I’d bet it’s substantial. In the case of incest or minors, virtually 100%.
TarheelDem on October 5, 2010 at 1:40 pm

Why do have to put up with this crap?

Because there is an Indiana County in Pennsylvania with this profile:

* Democratic: 26,653 (45.89%)
* Republican: 24,159 (41.60%)
* Other Parties: 7,265 (12.51%)

And these demographics:

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 89,605 people, 34,123 households, and 22,521 families residing in the county. The population density was 108 people per square mile (42/km²). There were 37,250 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.87% White, 1.57% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.9% were of German, 11.6% Italian, 10.7% Irish, 8.6% American, 7.1% English and 6.8% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 34,123 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.10% under the age of 18, 16.60% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males.

And that county elected a Republican to the state legislature.

And:

The county is also the site of the Homer City Generating Station, a coal-burning power plant. The plant has caught the attention of environmentalists as being ranked second in emissions, in 2002, of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) in Pennsylvania. The plant also ranked high, in 2003, in the emissions of both sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide ranking 4th and 28th in the nation

And folks in the county work there. And the county ships a million Christmas trees every year. And then there’s this:

For decades the major industry of the town was coal mining, but as mines closed throughout the latter half of the twentieth century the area has had ongoing economic difficulty. Natural gas surveying and production have picked up some of the slack, and Indiana serves as the home of the largest privately owned drilling company in the United States, S.W. Jack Drilling Company. It also counts a number of other production and service firms as members of the community, as well as three publicly traded companies: S&T Bancorp, Inc., First Commonwealth Financial Corp., and Superior Well Services Inc.- unique considering the size of the community. In addition it holds one of the nation’s largest independent insurance agencies: The Reschini Group – which was started by the nation’s first female insurance agent Rose Reschini in 1938.

A large section of the southern part of the town, and bordering the university is occupied by Kovalchick Salvage Co. The land was recently purchased by the university and it plans to rejuvenate part of what is considered the largest eyesore in the community. Kovalchick holds large amounts of railroad salvage and aluminum.

As of December 2008, roughly fifty percent of the salvage materials held by Kovalchick Corporation have been cleared or otherwise removed from publicly viewable land.

And the talk shows are those broadcast by KDKA and WCCS (Homer City). And Godstock Ministries and The Christian Witness, Inc. have stations that broadcast religious programming to folks in the county.

I suspect while some of the details about crops and industry are different, there are a whole bunch of counties like this between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Brendan Skwire on October 5, 2010 at 1:54 pm

well, golly gee Booman, I wonder where White got the idea to do an end-run around Roe:

While the congressional fight over health-care reform has wrapped up and legislators moved on, a new, state-level battle over abortion coverage has just begun.

The fight comes courtesy of Section 1303 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (page 779 here), which reiterates states’ rights to regulate abortion coverage among their insurers. The key sentence: “A state may elect to prohibit abortion coverage in qualified health plans offered through an Exchange in such State if such State enacts a law to provide for such a prohibition.”

This provision actually does not give states any rights they didn’t have before. As Nick Baumann over at Mother Jones recently, and astutely, pointed out, “states have had the right to pass laws regulating insurance, including banning abortion” for over six decades now. Five states (Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, and Oklahoma) already do so, only allowing insurers to cover abortion if the life of the mother is endangered (the Oklahoma expectation is wider, allowing for coverage in cases of rape and incest).

This sentence in Section 1303 didn’t change the existing law–but in the world of abortion politics and policy it was important for two main reasons. First, it drew scrutiny to a relatively dormant area of the abortion debate: insurance coverage (remember that, up until this past November, even the Republican National Committee’s insurance policy covered abortion). Second, it restated the existing laws regarding insurance regulation in a way that homes in on abortion, giving those who oppose abortion rights a specific clause to attack.

Why do we have to put up with this crap? It’s right there in the reforms Booman. You’re aware of the structural obstacles to progressive aims, so you shouldn’t be surprised by the sausage-making and capitulation. When it works to create something positive, you should be happy, it’s not like we gave away the store and got nothing. Women with pre-existing conditions like AIDS can still enter the high risk pool, they just can’t have an abortion. it’s not like AIDS babies live very long.

Don’t hate the playah. And by the way, while the anti-abortion forces don’t like the bill, they see a good deal when they get one:

Americans United for Life is by no means thrilled with the health-care reform bill that passed and the abortion language it contains. They have blasted it in numerous press releases. But, at the same time, they see an upside. “What we’ve got mobilizes pro-life legislators,” says their president, Charmaine Yoest. “It’s not what we wanted, but it’s what we’ll work with.” And, for an anti-abortion rights groups, its not a particularly bad deal: a reiteration of existing law that catalyzed a new wave of activism.

So a few rape victims will have to report within 72 hours to get an abortion in pennsylvania, big deal. the important thing is that some of us will get subsidies to buy insurance from the same companies that are jacking their rates, doing whatever they can to skirt the law, and attacking democrats in campaign ads.
- BooMan on October 5, 2010 at 2:01 pm
  
  First of all, the bill has been proposed. That doesn’t mean it will pass and be signed into law.
  
  Secondly, who do you blame for Stupak and Ben Nelson’s blackmail?
  - Brendan Skwire on October 5, 2010 at 5:05 pm
    
    i blame the Democratic Party itself, which has no sense of discipline, is only too happy to let various members go their own way without consequence, and in many cases doesn’t even believe in its own platform (like their statement that “”The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” (p. 50)).
    
    the contrast between the number of democrats who rolled over for bush and the number of republicans who rolled over for Obama is striking.
    
    still gonna vote for the losers, because a bad friend is better than a committed enemy, but let’s stop pretending that these attacks on reproductive rights are the sole province of republicans. They are simply taking advantage of opportunities written into the democrats’ new law.
    - Brendan Skwire on October 5, 2010 at 5:33 pm
      
      and regarding the “we’re screwed” post upstairs, democrats had ample warnings about John Roberts, and that lack of discipline didn’t pay off then either.
      
      Look, the GOP decided a long time ago that it was going to vote as a parliamentary bloc. The democrats have not adapted to this.

I Hate Republicans

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BooMan

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