[Marxism] Re: Congress Helps Providers Refuse Abortions

["acpollack2@xxxxxxxx" <acpollack2@xxxxxxxx>]

New details on the antiabortion clause which the Dems acquiesced to: it's also 
a gag rule.

-- moderator@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Congress Helps Providers Refuse Abortions

November 21, 2004, Associated Press

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1121-07.htm

WASHINGTON - Congress made it a little easier for hospitals,
insurers and others to refuse to provide or cover abortions. A
provision in a $388 billion spending bill passed by the House
and Senate on Saturday would block any of the measure's money
from going to federal, state or local agencies that act
against health care providers and insurers because they don't
provide abortions, make abortion referrals or cover them.

"This policy simply states that health care entities should
not be forced to provide elective abortions, a practice to
which a majority of health care providers object and which
they will not perform as a matter of conscience," said Rep.
David Weldon, R-Fla., a doctor who sponsored the language.

Weldon said his measure was simply a refinement of decades-old
restrictions against federal aid for most abortions. "This
provision is meant to protect health care entities from
discrimination because they choose not to provide abortion
services," he said.

But Democrats complained that the provision was slipped into
the voluminous year-end spending bill without debate or
discussion in the Senate or the House.

"Now any business entity can decide to tell doctors working
for it they can't give information to women about their right
to choose," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (news, bio, voting
record), D-Calif.

Many clinics and other providers, in exchange for federal
funds, are required to at least tell pregnant women who do not
wish to have a child that abortion is among their options.
Weldon's language would make it more difficult to enforce
that, opponents said.

"The Weldon amendment is essentially a domestic gag rule,
restricting access to abortion counseling, referral and
information," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of
California. "Health care companies should not be able to
prevent doctors from giving medically necessary information."

Boxer said she has been promised a vote in next year's Senate
to repeal the provision. But House Democrats conceded earlier
this year that they lacked the votes to stop Republicans from
approving the measure, and likely would not have votes to
strip the measure next year either.

© Copyright 2004 Associated Press


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