Stupak gunned down by the anti-abortion crowd that he supports
- April 10, 2010
- 1 comments
- Posted in Family, Health Insurance, Latest Posts
The moral of this story is: Never feed red meat to zealots. The moment you stop feeding them, they chew your arm off.
Bart Stupak, the Michigan representative, fought for—and won—tough language to restrict abortion in the health care reform act. Suddenly (yesterday), he announced that he’ll retire. One reason he’s leaving office is that his noisiest followers believe the Big Lie he told them about what’s in the law. When he tried to back off and tell the truth, it was too late. The Big Lie took over, his followers turned on him, and he went down.
At issue was how to fund abortion services. Under various laws passed since 1976, no federal funds can be used for abortions except in the case of rape, incest, or physical danger to the woman’s life. The new health reform act requires states to set up insurance exchanges, where people with middling incomes can use federal subsidies to buy affordable, comprehensive medical coverage.
Stupak’s amendment, which passed the House, said that these policies could not cover abortions except in the special cases that federal law allowed. If a buyer wanted insurance for abortions in general, she would have to pay for it separately with her own money. The Senate modified that language a little bit. Policies could cover abortions but the people who bought them would have to cut the insurance company two checks—one for general health insurance (using their government subsidy) and one for the types of abortions that the government can’t cover (using personal money).
In short, the Senate language was a distinction without a difference. But when it went back to the House, Stupak and friends cried wolf. They made the rounds of the TV shows, claiming that the Senate bill was pro-abortion and used federal funds illegally. That was the Big Lie.
Stupak, a Democrat, ran for Congress on a platform calling for health care to become an American “right.” He didn’t intend to be the person who killed the bill. When pushed to the wall, he got the president to issue a wordy executive order, stating that the government would enforce all current laws that limit federal abortion funding (which it does anyway). With that as cover, Stupak voted yes.
In a heartbeat, the right wing transformed him from a pro-life warrior into a hated “baby killer.” They believed him when he said, falsely, that the Senate bill was pro-abortion. When he turned around and okayed the Senate language, they shape-shifted him into an abortion-lover, too.
Zealots love believing lies. No amount of factual information, even fed intravenously, will open their minds. Stupak also lost support from those who hoped to use his vote to murder health care in its crib.
Nevertheless, abortion opponents won the day. Stupak’s amendment set off a chain of events that will probably cut general abortion coverage out of these policies anyway. As I’ve written before, women don’t expect that they or their daughters are likely to need an abortion. Most of them won’t choose the coverage, especially if they have to pay for it with a separate check. Rather than set up a little-used dual-payment system, insurance companies will find it more cost effective not to offer it at all.
So Stupak the anti-abortion warrior shaped the law but was sent to the tumbrils anyway. As in the French Revolution, the zealots behead their own.
Tags: abortion, health care reform, Stupak
Good article: I’m going to “steal” two of your best sentences; “Zealots love believing lies. No amount of factual information, even fed intravenously, will open their minds.” Not to worry, I’ll put them to good use…
Thank you.