Mar 16 2010
Abortions in Health Coverage- Not Just a Washington Debate Anymore [UPDATED]
UPDATE:
Republican House Leader Paul “Skip” Stam has a message for local governments that plan to keep funding elective abortions with taxpayer dollars: a lawsuit is coming.
Stam made the pledge minutes after the Wake County Board of Commissioners voted Monday along party lines to restore the county’s policy of covering medically unnecessary abortions in health care plans. Democrats on the board managed to reinstate the coverage after Commissioner Harold Webb, at home recovering from a stroke, phoned in his vote.
“There will be [a lawsuit], but in which county it will be and what month is a tactical question for whoever the lawyer and plaintiffs will be,” Stam said.
The Wake County Republican also had strong words for the four Democrats who voted to re-fund the procedure. “They’ve taken themselves down a path to a very minority status at the request of a Planned Parenthood lawyer,” he said.
Think the Congress is the only government entity debating taxpayer-funded abortions? Think again…
After a pointed legal and moral debate, the Wake County Board of Commissioners agreed Monday to restore insurance coverage for elective abortions for county employees.
“I don’t think that government should be telling women what to do with their bodies,” board member Stan Norwalk said.
With Democrats outvoting Republicans 4-3, members overruled county manager David Cooke. Cooke removed the coverage from the county’s self-insured plan when he learned of language in a 1981 state Supreme Court decision that could be read to forbid counties from paying for elective abortions. Rep. Paul Stam, who was the plaintiff in the case, brought it to board chairman Tony Gurley’s attention this year.
Hmmm. So my county tax money is now going to pay for something that I think is outright murder. Nope. Not happy. Campaign activities shall commence.
Here’s a quiz for all of you who supported this move: You think women have a “constitutional right” to an abortion, right? Fine, I’ll cede that. I have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. So if I have to pay for your abortion, why can’t I make you pay for that sweet 9mm I’ve been eyeing down at the pawn shop?
Oh, but Celtic… abortions are a vital health procedure! Guns aren’t!
Nope. These are elective abortions. Try again.
Oh, but Celtic… a woman might need an elective abortion for some legitimate reason!
Fine. I need that 9mm for a legitimate reason: defending myself and property. And for the zombie uprising.
If I have to pay for your constitutional rights, you should have to pay for mine.
Look. Take abortion out of this. The county is making me pay for someone else’s elective medical procedure. Why? I’ll pay for an employee’s emergency medical procedure; I don’t have a problem with that. But your elective procedures should be your business- be it abortion or ear piercing. This was a bad vote, and those four Democrats are going to hear about it.
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Celtic:
Hmm. How many abortions are we being asked to pay for? This should be known as the insurance is being ‘restored’.
I’m sure, if the abortion were for a legitimate medical reason (like saving the life of the mother), you would support the procedure.
An abortion isn’t like having one’s tonsils removed (as far as I know). I agree that elective measures should not be covered. It is a choice to have a child. It is also a choice to not have a child. Is it skewing the matter only to pay for the birth of a child and not the abortion of one?
At some point the religious in this country need to come to grips with population control.
Just some thoughts.
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Dale, birth control is affordable and easily available today. With the exception of the one out of a million times that it fails, the only reason for an unwanted pregnancy is irresponsibility.
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You don’t have to be religious to have problems with this.
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Good post, Celtic. You forgot to mention that the board voted down an amendment that would have provided coverage only in cases of rape, incest, or when the pregnancy was dangerous to the health of the mother, and instead chose to keep the elective language intact.
The next question is, when are these individual members up for reelection?
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Bane:
Think of unwanted pregnancies: due to rape, a severely damaged fetus (genetic or otherwise), in the case of incest. That’s 3 more than your ‘only’ reason for unwanted pregnancy. That takes your ‘irresponsibility’ statement and shows that you aren’t thinking fully at the possibilities that exist. That being said I should not have to pay for someone’s lifestyle where abortion is used as a convenience or substitute for using birth control- so we are actually in agreement here, as I am with Celtic.
Celtic:
No, you don’t have to be religious to have a problem with this. However, ‘religious’ people foist their idea of morality on others and that is patently wrong. Religion is also a lifestyle and is a personal matter- like the choice to have or not have a child. I should not be confined by ANYONE’S religious belief nor should I have to pay for the outcome of their religious belief or suffer the consequences of not holding to a particular personal religious belief. I should not have to pay for your choice, for the abortion of YOUR child.
You do, at least, understand that religious beliefs should not be the basis of allowing or denying abortions to be paid for by a government entity. Common sense, not religion, says I should not have to pay for the choices that other people make in their lives, especially those that are a matter of personal choice.
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Stop debating yourself, dale. No one said anything about religion except you.
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Dale – “Think of unwanted pregnancies: due to rape, a severely damaged fetus (genetic or otherwise), in the case of incest. That’s 3 more than your ‘only’ reason for unwanted pregnancy. That takes your ‘irresponsibility’ statement and shows that you aren’t thinking fully at the possibilities that exist.”
I should have clarified my statement better. I was commenting solely on consensual acts. Yes, those would be excusable reasons as well, although I would point out that a pregnancy resulting from rape is exceedingly rare.
But yes, I think we’re all on the same page here.
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@Logic: Four commissioners, all Dems, voted for this. Three of them were elected/re-elected in 2008 and are not up until 2012.
But the fourth Dem, Lindy Brown, is up this year. And in Wake County, the commissioners are elected countywide. She can’t hide in her liberal enclave in South Raleigh. Should be an interesting election.
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Looks like there won’t be any repercussions for Lindy this year, she’s running unopposed. Unless I’m mistaken, it appears she’s not an at large candidate, but the commissioner in Dist. 2.
http://msweb03.co.wake.nc.us/bordelec/downloads/6candidate/6candidatelist/2010CandidateList.pdf
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Dale cracks me up.
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Ok, strike that, on pg. 6 of that link it has 3 Repubs listed as filed for County Commissioner Dist. 2, while Lindy is listed as filed on pg. 9? So I guess she’s not running unopposed.
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Seriously guys, what’s wrong with abortions?
Ever been 30 seconds from that mutual orgasm when you finally decide to talk birth control?
If you said no, you have no place in this discussion.
And I hope you never gain office or relevance.
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@Logic-
Lindy is unopposed in the primary. Three Republicans are vying to take her on- Champ Claris, Phil Mathews, and Phil Jeffries. It’s a countywide election. You have to LIVE in district 2, but run countywide.
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Logic:
Yes, I did bring up religion as most of your politicians bring theirs up and, as a result of their religious beliefs we get their morality foisted onto us. That’s why I brought it up. Do you ALWAYS have to have the dots connected for you?
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