Vitter Amendment Bans Federal Funding of Native American Abortions

[southern_belle]

My Senator - David Vitter - A Senator I Can Be Proud Of! :sarcasm:

With the state of the economy, Katrina recovery, the housing crisis, Iraq, lack of physical and mental health care in New Orleans and the state, not to mention the health care crises in the country, my Senator is DOING something! :freak:

I just think his hard work deserves some recognition and should be seen be all the citizens of this great country. Please, help me get Senator Vitter added to the front page as Most Recommended. :pals:

The U.S. Senate passed U.S. Sen. David Vitter’s amendment to S.1200, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, prohibiting the use of federal Indian Health Service (IHS) funds for abortions, except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest of a minor. http://www.kalb.com/index.php/news/article/senate-passes-vitter-amendment-to-prohibit-federal-funding-of-abortions/4025/

As Chris Kelly so eloquently wrote today:

It's been thirty years since congress barred the use of federal money for abortions, and 25 years since the last American Indian woman had access to an abortion through a doctor provided by Indian Health Services. So you might think: Problem solved. Let's move on. And get drugs out of baseball.

But you'd be wrong.

You couldn't get an abortion, and you can't get an abortion, but what about the knocked-up Choctaw of 2250? Who's going to make sure they do the right thing?

David Vitter will. He just did. Tuesday. With an amendment to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. And it passed, 52-42.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kelly/david-vitter-is-thinking-_b_88727.html

Vitter claims his amendment closes a loophole in the Hyde Amendment that may be exploited by a pro-choice president. But really, this is bullshit. All his amendment does reiterate our existing federal policy, and muck things up for a future Democratic congress or president that may repeal the Hyde Amendment. Explains Planned Parenthood's Cecile Richards:

“Sen. Vitter’s amendment is simply a political tactic that will do nothing to improve health care for Native Americans, nor reduce the number of unintended pregnancies,” said PPFA President Cecile Richards. “If Sen. Vitter is serious about preventing unintended pregnancies, he would support prevention legislation that invests in family planning programs. Unfortunately, Sen. Vitter’s amendment puts politics over the health and welfare of Native Americans.”
Exactly. Native women face disproportionately high rates of rape and sexual assault, and a very high teen birth rate. Seems like an awesome idea to cut this population off from federal reproductive health funding, huh?!

http://feministing.com/archives/008682.html

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/issues-action/std-hiv/native-americans-13171.htm

[thereismore]

1. A new darling of evangelicals? nt

[Matariki]

2. Sure. But Federal money to kill innocent Iraqis, NO PROBLEM

disgusting.

[jgraz]

3. A transparent ploy to keep the diaper makers afloat

He's beholden to the Military-Incontinence Complex!

[Vickers]

4. "Let's move on. And get drugs out of baseball."

:rofl:
All this does is allow him a bullet statement on his reelection mailings on how anti-woman pro-life he is. :eyes:

[Bluzmann57]

5. So, if Vitter knocks up one of his whores

er, lady friends, er, whatever he is consorting with, is he going to pay for the abortion? Just wondering.

[aquart]

17. We gotta call these bills Population Expansion Acts.

[rodeodance]

6. oh my gawd

[saracat]

7. And what were the Dems doing? Sitting on their hands? Endorsing Obama? What?

[BOSSHOG]

8. I don't know who the biggest jerk is

your Senator or your Governor. jindal makes me wanna puke, such a little punkass. So sad making a living by pandering to haters and promoting ignorance.

I'm a neighbor over in Southeast Mississippi and we get to Slidell and NOLA often. I truly love Louisiana, just a little cheaper living in MS.

[southern_belle]

9. I hear ya'

:cry:

[LisaM]

10. Is there an EFFING roll call on this?

Honestly, let's play turn back the clock day. Let's just have a disco night at Comiskey Park, but instead of blowing up disco records, blow up some more women's rights.

[laconicsax]

11. Vote results:

His amendment: 52-42-6

Dems voting with Repigs: 7
Bayh (D-IN)
Byrd (D-WV)
Casey (D-PA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)

Repigs voting with Dems: 2
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)

Not voting:
Clinton, Obama, Dodd, McCain, Cornyn, Warner
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00030

For the full bill:
Official vote: 83-10-7

Votes against were all Republicans, including Vitter.
Not voting were the same six as above, but adding Lieberman

http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00032

[southern_belle]

12. Thank you, laconicsax

I wasn't sure where to find it! :blush:

[aquart]

16. I thought Byrd was in the hospital.

[IronLionZion]

19. oh yes, my state has a pro-choice repub and an anti-choice Dem

that's uniquely Pennsylvanian I believe.

[warren pease]

20. Well, well... the honorable Mr. Reid...

How many more outrageous transgressions against democratic (small "d") ideals is this weak and/or complicit pile of shit going to get away with? Enough of Harry Reid. He outlived his usefulness a year ago; now he's just taking up space that should be occupied by an actual living, breathing human being who understands the concept of an OPPOSITION PARTY.

wp

[kestrel91316]

13. Hey, I'm not so sure repopulating the continent with Native Americans isn't

actually a GOOD IDEA.

After all, we European expats' descendants have done a royal job of fucking the place up.......how could natives do any WORSE?

[Metta]

14. His karma will be having a female relative raped or being reborn as a Native who needs an abortion.

That's about the way it works. Meanwhile, whatever we can do to stop this piece of shit.

[southern_belle]

15. Yes, karma will bite him in the

butt one day. I am a BIG believer in karma.

[Stinky The Clown]

18. vitter .... ? vitter .... ? vitter .... ? vitter .... ? ........ oh **snap**

Vitter. ***That*** Vitter!

[warren pease]

21. It's about time Vitter's fat, pink GOPiggie body shows up all over the internets...

... clad only in one of Pampers finest products.

Does such a thing already exist? If so, where? If not, any photoshoppers want to give it a go? This should be a breeze for Swampy.

And then we deluge the internet with Vitter's lumpy, nearly nekkid suet-flesh, turn everything he says and does into an international joke and watch that bold legislative initiative just fade quietly away.

Sound like a reasonable way to deal with another prissy little GOP moralist hypocrite shit when he gets a little too uppity?


wp

[OneBlueSky]

22. isn't having a Democratic Senate wonderful? . . .

I mean, we went out and elected them for CHANGE -- and haven't seen enough change to fill a very small coin purse . . .

what the hell is wrong with these people? . . .

[eridani]

23. And he left out the special subsidy for adult diapers?

Tsk tsk.

[Supersedeas]

24. Vitter needs his diaper changed

[Ilsa]

25. "Improvement Act?" Oh brother. Who's next? Restrictions on DAR?

Or Daughters of the Confederacy? I guess he's going after women one segment at a time.

Son of a bitch.