So this weekend President Obama signed into law the Health Care reform bill that his administration and party have been working on for the past year. While the reconciliation package still (as of this writing) awaits passage in order to fix the flaws of the current bill it can be viewed as a Democratic success (to some extent: I would say that it is more a Health Insurance Reform bill than a Health Care Reform bill considering its lack of a single payer or even public option).
With this success, there has been a backlash against Democratic members of Congress. Protesters outside of the United States Capitol hurled racial epithets at African American Congressmen and homophobic slurs against openly gay Rep. Barney Frank as they tried to go to work. Some members of Congress were even spat on. This, however, is not the worst of it.
Since the bill's passage, many members of the Democratic party have been targeted by threats of violence and aggression. Several Democratic offices around the country have been vandalized by bricks being thrown through the windows. This, also, is not my focus.
My focus is on Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan. If you have been following the health care debate you will know that he is the Democratic congressman who threatened to derail the entire bill if the language on abortion was not made more restrictive. He claimed that the Senate version of the bill would allow federal funding of a legal procedure. It did not. He wanted to ban people who get any government subsidy for health insurance to be banned from getting abortion coverage in their plan even if they paid for that part with their own money. This would essentially make the legal procedure all but banned for anyone that wasn't rich enough to pay for separate abortion coverage. He was eventually convinced to vote in favor of the legislation by being assured that the Senate bill does not expand abortion rights and promised by the president that an Executive Order would be signed to reinforce the limits of the Senate bill on abortion.
The abortion debate is something that I do not wish to get into in too much detail. All I will say on the matter is that I feel I do not have the right to decide about abortion because I do not have a uterus. It is completely a matter for those it will effect: women. I disagree with Mr. Stupak's position on it and am disappointed that he tried to use the health care bill as a vehicle to gain restrictions on women's reproductive rights.
What I wanted to focus on was the backlash that Mr. Stupak has faced since his vote in favor of reform. He has received calls from outraged members of the public claiming that he betrayed their cause; calling him a "baby killer" (something that was also shouted at him by a fellow Congressman as he was speaking on the floor of the House). These people identified themselves as "pro-life" and then proceeded to give him death threats. One caller wished that Mr. Stupak would get cancer and die, another said that he was the devil.
While I strongly disagree with Mr. Stupak's political positions (and his involvement with a secretive religious organization called "The Family" who have been apparently subsidizing his living expenses in Washington) I would never have condoned anyone who disagreed with him to threaten him with violence or to wish death upon him. Even if he had voted against reform the worst I would have wished for is that he not be re-elected. That is it. It is never justified to speak to another person in such a way, be they an elected government official or not.
These "pro-life" bullies (who apparently do not see the irony in wishing death upon someone else, like Dr. George Tiller, and still call themselves pro-life) cannot defend their actions in any way that will make it alright. Even if the bill Mr. Stupak voted for expanded abortion rights (which it clearly and plainly does not) this would not be justified. The fact that such vile language has been directed at him despite the fact that he is still on their side politically is nothing short of stupid.
I could lecture Mr. Stupak about him looking carefully at the people he claims to support and ask him to reconsider but frankly that is not the issue. Whatever his political or religious allegiance it is never justified to react in such a vile and threatening manner. Never.
With this success, there has been a backlash against Democratic members of Congress. Protesters outside of the United States Capitol hurled racial epithets at African American Congressmen and homophobic slurs against openly gay Rep. Barney Frank as they tried to go to work. Some members of Congress were even spat on. This, however, is not the worst of it.
Since the bill's passage, many members of the Democratic party have been targeted by threats of violence and aggression. Several Democratic offices around the country have been vandalized by bricks being thrown through the windows. This, also, is not my focus.
My focus is on Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan. If you have been following the health care debate you will know that he is the Democratic congressman who threatened to derail the entire bill if the language on abortion was not made more restrictive. He claimed that the Senate version of the bill would allow federal funding of a legal procedure. It did not. He wanted to ban people who get any government subsidy for health insurance to be banned from getting abortion coverage in their plan even if they paid for that part with their own money. This would essentially make the legal procedure all but banned for anyone that wasn't rich enough to pay for separate abortion coverage. He was eventually convinced to vote in favor of the legislation by being assured that the Senate bill does not expand abortion rights and promised by the president that an Executive Order would be signed to reinforce the limits of the Senate bill on abortion.
The abortion debate is something that I do not wish to get into in too much detail. All I will say on the matter is that I feel I do not have the right to decide about abortion because I do not have a uterus. It is completely a matter for those it will effect: women. I disagree with Mr. Stupak's position on it and am disappointed that he tried to use the health care bill as a vehicle to gain restrictions on women's reproductive rights.
What I wanted to focus on was the backlash that Mr. Stupak has faced since his vote in favor of reform. He has received calls from outraged members of the public claiming that he betrayed their cause; calling him a "baby killer" (something that was also shouted at him by a fellow Congressman as he was speaking on the floor of the House). These people identified themselves as "pro-life" and then proceeded to give him death threats. One caller wished that Mr. Stupak would get cancer and die, another said that he was the devil.
While I strongly disagree with Mr. Stupak's political positions (and his involvement with a secretive religious organization called "The Family" who have been apparently subsidizing his living expenses in Washington) I would never have condoned anyone who disagreed with him to threaten him with violence or to wish death upon him. Even if he had voted against reform the worst I would have wished for is that he not be re-elected. That is it. It is never justified to speak to another person in such a way, be they an elected government official or not.
These "pro-life" bullies (who apparently do not see the irony in wishing death upon someone else, like Dr. George Tiller, and still call themselves pro-life) cannot defend their actions in any way that will make it alright. Even if the bill Mr. Stupak voted for expanded abortion rights (which it clearly and plainly does not) this would not be justified. The fact that such vile language has been directed at him despite the fact that he is still on their side politically is nothing short of stupid.
I could lecture Mr. Stupak about him looking carefully at the people he claims to support and ask him to reconsider but frankly that is not the issue. Whatever his political or religious allegiance it is never justified to react in such a vile and threatening manner. Never.
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