Late last night, the House debated the continuing resolution and more 500 proposed amendments. But, the agenda turned to Republican Mike Pense’s proposed amendment to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood to zero.
One of the many Republicans who supported the amendment was Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey. And to make his argument, Smith read a passage from a book written by a former abortion provider who described in graphic detail what a dilation and evacuation procedure looks like on an ultrasound. Again, warning to users – it’s graphic.
Democratic Congresswoman from California Jackie Speier, was the next person to speak. In a dramatic floor speech, she revealed her own sad experience with ending a pregnancy that brought the House floor to a stand still.
The House voted today to support the amendment from Congressman Mike Pence that strips Planned Parenthood of funding.
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I hate the fact that all they want to talk about with Planned Parenthood is abortion. Before I had insurance, I went to Planned Parenthood for my annual pap smears. Thank God for them because they found my cervical cancer. It was caught in the very early stages and I'm cancer free. Cutting their funding is political and disappointing.
If planned parenthood would sepparate the funding of abortion from funding other feminine needs, I'd have no problem with them getting my tax money. It's one of the reasons I donate to non-abortion women's clinic organizations
Hambone: PP does. They currently receive NO public funding for abortions. That is what the Hyde Amendment is all about. Look it up before you go frothing off at the keyboard. One fanswat upside the head for you and all your ilk. I'm in an especially bad mood this morning because my family is prone to ovarian cancer and PP is -- as teach88 points out -- often the only way women have to access any form of healthcare at all.
Hambone is pro cervical cancer.
Let PP direct their services to preventive care and not moral issues and they should be funded.
How did you reach that stupid conclusion DonQ.
Funny, or not so funny, that all of these proposals are filed by men. And that they automatically assume, as Rep. Speier says, that the decision is made "cavalierly." Or is that just a coincidence? How can so many men be wrong at the same time?
Even the Catholic Church allows abortion when it imperils the life of the mother. What is going on here?
Well, it's simpler than you think. Proposing to save a fetus - and it is a fetus, or embryo, and not a baby, thank you very much - at the expense of the life of the mother tells you everything you need to know about these right-wing, self-righteous idiots. Basicaly, they are saying that women are just meant to be baby machines and that their lives are expendable to that end.
So the idea is to replace Planned Parenthood with abstinence only education.
Yeah, tell me how that's gonna work out for ya. You betcha!
Some of us are still living in the 18th century, obviously.
its not only men that are against abortion. Sharon Angle for example, an abortion doctor got murdered by a woman that was against abortion. Your right though it seems to be mostly men. I'm a guy and as far as I'm concerned its the woman's business and none of mine.
The only thing the Hyde Amendment denies is Medicaid funding abortion. Planned P has stubbornly refused to separate it's abortion operations from it's women's health.
Just so you know, it's been two years since we pulledmy roomates' ventilator, she fought ovarian cancer for three years, to the very end. In as nice of words as I can muster, so oI don't get banned- Had you said that to me face to face I'd have slapped a piss out of you. How dare you glibly cross a known killer of women with this topic just to make yourself sound like you know what you are talking about. Being cancer prone ain't half the pain of trying to keep a loved one alive through three years of chemo just to watch her drown as her lungs fill with cancer. I hope you can maintain that morally superior stance, you will need it if the worst comes to pass.
DQ, you really need to have a piss slapped outta you, too.
If you would have Planned Parenthood defunded, including its cancer screening, services because of abortion, then you are pro-cancer. Whatever services PP offers, abortions aren't free. The women pay for those...and its doesn't matter how dire the need, the will do no abortions for anything less than money. You tax dollars don't figure into it. You are pro-cervical cancer. Come get some.
Another pro-teen pregnancy, pro-cervical cancer proponent.
Women pay for their abortions. No-one gets free abortions. Whatever else PP offers, free abortions is not one of them, ergo no tax money is spent on abortions.
Such a righteous turn of phrase from Representative Chris Smith: "Allowing [...] for very young girls to be procured in their clinic." I'm sure he worked all night before on that one, the tricky guy.
The Rep Speier's story is personal and she had the right to choose. The fact that she blasted it does not necessitate all Americans paying for her choice. Every woman has the right to choose and pay for the choice. Its an elective procedure. Let Planned Parenthood Concentrate on women's preventive issues.
No, it is the law and it is a legal medical procedure. You and the rest of your ilk are done bullying the rest of us. We will not allow this crap from your side anymore. You don't want to have an abortion, don't have one. You don't have a say in anything else. This is our right and we will exersize it. You will never win. You see what's happening in Wisconsin with the teachers? You just watch what happens when you squeeze us any further with the stuff going on in kansas, Dakota, etc. You watch. The right wing party is done. This is the death knell. People are sick of this crap
I wonder what on earth you could possibly mean by "she blasted it" in reference to Rep. Speier? Your pretense at tolerance is rather transparent, Peter. Indeed, abortion is legal and a legitimate medical procedure. There's no reason why federal funds should not assist women in paying for them if they cannot afford to do so themselves. Go ahead and argue that it is your tax money, a flimsy argument considering none of us get to direct our tax money to specific beneficiaries. Lastly, your name suggests you are a male and thus you will never be in the position to decide whether or not to carry an unwanted pregnancy to full term. Fundamentally, women's choices in this respect really are none of your business.
as soon as you use my tax money for an elective surgical procedure, you bet I have a say in it. Just like they tell us guys in family court "you had your say when you decided to have sex now pay the child support". When women decide to let a guy mount them, they just made the decision to possibly have to raise a child.
You don't get to pick and choose what your taxes are for. If that were the case, I don't want to fund wars, any religion-related initiatives, and, for that matter, any Republican's salary.
But I would pay for your education, Hambone.
Your misogynism ("mount them"?) disqualifies you from making any decision on women's bodies.
A face lift is an elective legal medical procedure. Do you propose we pay for that too. The abortion in question was elective not medically necessary. Rep S also had an elective abortion. Read the definition of elective.
She could have had her reproductive system destroyed had the pregnancy continued. How was that elective? She wanted that baby, you think she would have aborted it if she didn't have to?
Would having your head surgically removed from your ass be elective? It doesn't seem to impact your qualifity of life or endanger it in any way.
Actually you do get to pick and choose, koko. You vote. BTW, wars and stuff are enumerated powers we don't have a say in what go's on with that at all. Except for the vote. The abortion issue is a whole 'nother deal.
I had an abortion at the age of 18. I was on birth control. I had to go through a horrible group of operation rescue league fascists. I then went to planned parenthood 3 years later in Brookline ,MA where I lived directly across the street from the clinic. I went there to confirm a pregnancy which was my first son. Months later, operation rescue followers gunned down 3 clinic workers killing and injuring them. Had I gone in there a few months later, I might have been killed. I was not there to have an abortion. We must all rise up speak out unashamedly about our reproductive choices so that these anti choice supporters cannot continue the 40 years of bullying anymore
When I was 16, I accepted a ride home with the wrong person, and wound up having a 'back room' abortion. Nothing in the whole spectrum of this experience was in any way pleasant. It's been a long time, and the last thing I regret is the abortion. I escaped with my life & reproductive capacity, and nothing more in bills than the exorbitant cost. I've tried to be a good citizen & parent, but nobody deserves to hear the story. Just saying. It's not really fair to say this, but I hope if Rep. Pence ever needs a prostatectomy, he has to have it without anesthesia.
If he needs prostate surgery it will not be electice. You chose your abortion. You chose the ride home. Accept responsibility and stop wishing harm on people who need surgery which is not elective.
DON Q -Forget U -
That was slathered with a triple helping of sarcasm and bile. I'm on the side of women's reproductive rights and freedoms. I think the pro-life position is very similar to that of shariaists, if not identical. I think that Osama bin Laden would have agreed with Pat Robertson's and Jerry Falwell's assessment of why 9/11 happened and that the Christian Right are no less the enemy of American freedom and liberty than al Queada and the taliban. The Republican/Conservative/Pro-life support of anti-abortion terrorists is very telling. Just so there is no misunderstanding.
Planned Parenthood would like nothing better than to never perform another abortion. The way to accomplish this, is to provide family planning information to any individuals who ask for it.
Exactly. And in addition to providing family planning assistance, including contraception, they provide other vital services such as breast exams, mammogram referrals, preventative testing (i.e. pap smears, etc.), HIV and STD screening, and more. As a patient at an NYC PP clinic, I can say with utter conviction that I have never been treated with such respect and compassion by a health care provider as I have at PP. Every woman that walks through the doors is treated in that same respectful manner. Where are women to go for these services? In some regions, Planned Parenthood is the only source for family planning and women's health care/reproductive services for hundreds of miles. The House bill is outrageous.
It is none of my business what she does so I do not want her to waste my time with her stories or tales of woe. Doing that made it my business. You are as cnfused about that as you are saying my taxes should pay for something I think is murder. Keep her business private and off the Congress floor so it is proivate. You need a course in Logic.
You realy shouldn't post drunk.
ERGO my taxes should pay for anything you decide. Your conclusions are stupid at best. Women have the right to choose and I would never impose my beliefs on anyone. I have the right to object to paying for something I believe is morally wrong.
I find the thing I had outlined morally wrong, I object to my taxes being used for those things. Tell you what. I'll pay for women's reproductive rights, and you pay to have civilians murdered and for American based mercenaries to have sex with children.
Planned Parenthood provides vital health care for women, including me. I have no health insurance and, like many women, Planned Parenthood is basically my sole health care provider. Thus far, public defenses of PP add the caveat that the organization does not use federal funds to provide abortion services. I realize this has to do with the law that is in place preventing the use of federal funding in this regard, but let's stop behaving as though there is any logic to that prohibition. Furthermore, abortion is a safe, legal, and legitimate medical procedure. Women don't need to apologize nor make excuses for electing to have abortions.
Lawrence, thank you for your rational and very sensitive interview with Rep. Speier, who showed tremendous courage when she spoke on the House floor last evening.
Thank you Rep Speirs for the honesty, integrity and courage it took to share your story... and for also so eloquently and firmly putting Rep Pence in his place. You shined a light on his ignorant and petty stunt, and if he had any sense he'd be ashamed... but like many of his colleagues he is probably too arrogant to feel anything but smug. Thank goodness we have women like Rep Speirs to stand her ground and challenge this type of stupidity!
She should have kept her story private. Abortion is a private matter not to be broadcast to any one who will listen making it a public issue. Yes its real brave to kill an unborn child. Did you ever hear the word morality.
You are a poster child for abortion. it was cruel to let someone as brain damaged as yourself come to term.
Useless and malicious, Don Quixokie.
You're suspended for a week for violating #1 of the Code of Honor - second time this month.
If you do this again - especially on The Last Word - expect a banning.
I have a question for both sides of this issue. There were over 80,000 abortions done in New York City in 2009. Does that statistic say anything about us New Yorkers? What are the implications of such a number? Do we just keep aborting babies and if so at what price?
IF (big IF) there were actually that many, then it is obviously a drastically needed service. The damned Republican's would let those same 80,000 babies starve to death, if they had the chance.
Yep, starvation ranks right up there with plagues, disease and pestilence in the Republican platform.
nice dodge, libs. Why don't you answer his question.
Why are we still talking about abortion? Oh yeah, because that sorry excuse for a human being brought it into a vote on funding for Planned Parenthood which was not related to pregnancy terminations.
How many women have died in Africa because George Bush stopped all funding to any group who provided abortions, regardless of their other work with women's health? And how many women would die in this country because they lost access to screening for breast and cervical cancer? We cannot allow this to go forward. Let's not loose the Senate in 2012!
Dear Clueless in Santa Barbara
Probably a small fraction of those whose lives were saved by George Bush's massive increase in AIDS care funding. Thx, Bono
Dear "Getreal", Are you a total idiot? I'm not sure coz apparently you think it's OK that people die from one thing if they aren't dying from the other. And by the way, there really is no need to be rude about people's names, it just shows your immaturity!
lots of love,
"I probably know a lot more than you in Santa Barbara"
Everytime there is something really important before congress some nut brings up the abortion issue and quotes the bible. Most persons especially school teachers and counselors are aware of how serious date rape or just plain rape is to young ladies and young girls. There have been sport teams with bets to see how many girls they can score with, some resulting in pregnancy. Forced sex, white slavery are very common as are fathers that rape their own daughters. Its time that women in congress fight fire with fire...Demand that any male found guilty forcing sex that restults in preganacy will be steralized... Actually I would like to see any male proven guilty of rape taken to the town square and have his pecker cut off...but I doubt they would get that approved. I do think they need to bring up this issue each time abortion is brought up.....I assure you if this did pass there would be much less need for abortion. Lets put the fear of god into those guys that force themselves on women....also respond to those using the bible...why then do they think its ok to send young men and women off to war to be killed?
ok
The truth is Only 6% of abortions of the 300,000 Planned Parenthood performs a year are for medically necesary like the Congresswoman's and No one has a problem with a woman like Ms. Spier who was in the process of miscarrying her baby, through no fault of her own, getting treatment to protect her life as the babies life was already jeopardized, when your cervix fails, delivery has begun. What we have a problem with (yes Im pro life) is elective abortions for non medically necessary reasons. Her story was heart wrenching, but it clouds the real issue, a majority of the abortions planned parent hood performs are for convenience/choice and not medically called for. Out of that many elective non medically necessary abortions they only refer about 2400 to adoption, APPALLING! I know women on both sides who had many elective abortions 4 +, and those who had medically necessary ones, two the baby died and failed to miscarry, and the third had an incomplete miscarriage (my sister) so lets call it what it is, theres a big difference between her story and someone using abortion as a method of birth control.
You are entitled to your opinion but you are not entitled to enforce your opinion on my body.
If you don't think abortion should be used as birth control then surely you support Planned Parenthood who are a huge provider of actual birth control
I had an ex-sister in law who miscarried. Her pastor told her that getting a DNC would be abortion, even though the baby was already dead and that she needed to pass it naturally. She went weeks with that dead thing in her belly and it passed in pieces. Your compassion is palpable Laura. Where in the bible does it specifically say abortion is wrong?
Hosea 13:16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."
Don it is a D&E in the case of your sister in law. The uterus is evacuated of dead contents. Her pastor is as ignorant as you are. The bible is clear about murder.
Adam did not live til got breathed life into, ergo a person who who never breathed was never alive. And this:
Hosea 13:16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."
Which verse was it that says explicitly that abortion is murder?
Peter, it is also called a D&C "Dilation and Curettage"
The 80,000 is the number recently reported in the news. (Google It) I agree with Dale that no man should ever be allowed to force himself upon any female and should suffer the punishment when he does so. I don't believe however that all abortions can be attributed to a rape. There are a number of other variables to be considered.
And why not talk about abortions here and forget the political nonsense. Neither political side has the answer in my view.
The rest of the story...One of my daughers carried her dead baby inside her for months sufferig depression day after day. She wanted that child so bad and later her husband got her pregnant again, saying he wanted her to have an abortion...he did not want a child Shocked and suffering she did have the child and her husband after she put him thru college, left her for an old girl friend. She survived on her own as did her child thanks to a supportive family. As a teacher I saw so many girls fall in love, have sex because they believed the guy when he said, "If you really love me you will let me do this", or using drugs that knock out the girl, etc. I sat here last night talkng to my daugher regarding this isse and we agree, no man will ever know what it is like to be foreced into having an abortion when what you really want is a live baby. Yes men should have no say...but again until women stand up and say we need a law that mandates any man, boy, etc that impregnates a women against her will shall have his penis removed.... Stand up women ..dont let those jerk control your life and body.
Of course, were it Rep. Chris Smith that had a problem pregnancy, he'd have guaranteed availability of care, including abortion. As a male Republican, however, a proctologist would have to be called. Oppose abortion? Don't have one!
No way!! He'd cary it full term!! It'd be stool-born, though. ;)
Again the Republicans show their utter lack of concern for the health, welfare and safety of our fellow Americans.
If you love America and what it stands for, then you must stand up against these American People hating, corporate ring kissing Republicans.
They do not have the best interests of America or the American People in mind.
Knock them down and never let them get up again.
Our freedom depends on it.
Why don't these men keep their penis in their pants? While I listened to Chris Smith, the image of plantation life for the female slaves flashed across my mind. Hey, I can do whatever I want and if the "B___h" gets pregnant, so what, just one more slave to work my land!! In the current case, just one more worker for corporations and big business!
It amazes me that these people are always shouting - "Limited Government!" "Liberty!" "Freedom!" Yet everything that they are trying to institute - at the federal level and at the state level, is "BIG GOVERNMENT!" In the same vein, according to their budget from Czar Ryan, they want to eliminate food programs for poor women and children. Facets in their ranks want to deny those that work the opportunity to deduct breast pumps on their taxes. Everything that they are doing is to undermine the freedoms and liberties of all who opposes them in the short-term and to control the freedoms and liberties of ALL AMERICANS in the long-term.
People need to wake-up and see the handwriting on the wall - AUTOCRATIC ONE-PARTY RULE across our nation! DEMOCRACY WILL BECOME THE THING OF THE PAST and if this party follows Texas, democracy and our way of life will be stricken from the history books!
I keep thinking of Benjamin Franklin - ONE OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS! He said, "We have a Republic, if we can keep it." Well, we are giving it away.
It took Egypt 30 years to get out from under dictatorship. How long will it take this country to get out from under the dictatorship that we have allowed to take over our government?
What do we do for the woman (girl) who did not want to be "impregnated"? If we spoke of them not wanting to have been "impregnated", instead of "getting pregnant" (like they got a cold) perhaps we can move to the basic question I asked. Many women (girls) had no choice in being impregnated, much less in the sex act that resulted in that. In a lot of cases, it was definately not an "act of love". Again, I ask, what do we do for the woman (girl) who did not want to be impregnated? In my opinion, (oh, that we all would start our points of view with that phrase), In my opinion, I think we allow the choice to the woman (girl) not to continue the pregnancy that was forced upon her and that she did not want. That choice belongs to no one else, especially the government or some religious organization.
Not for nothin, but I think I'd like to see something slightly more definitive than "many women" and "a lot of cases" before I use taxpayer dollars to fund this project.
That was an excellent presentation, Congressman Smith. Common sense dictates that drying up the cesspool requires that you cut all funding to this evil organization. Using the words of an actual former abortion provider was a brilliant way to expose the dreaded secrets that fanatical pro-aborts want kept hidden. Ironically, Rep Speirs, appearing on talk shows later, recounted how her own spontaneous (completely unrelated to abortions of choice) abortion has affected her deeply to this day. Why? Because she knows the life of her child was snuffed out and that's a truth no ones conscience can deny. Beam me up Scotty......
@ getreal You are a disgusting pig. You will all lose because the only ones who are fanatical are you fascists. Your time is up. There will be a revolt which is already happening against all of you self righteous right wing hypocrites. I am so ready for it.
A little anger mgmt problem here? Tweaking you fanatics has to be one of the most enjoyable sports ever invented.
It sounded like she was peaking in defense of the right to have that procedure and the full gravity that comes with it. Praise Allah to you and all the other taliban shariaists.
Now I've seen your 2nd post I'm sure that you are not only a mean spirited, but and ignorant idiot.
It's oh so brave of you to attack people on a blog! Why don't you do us all a favor and shut the F up!
Everyone has a story and some don't tell their until they reach God. A woman who losing a child at birth never recovers. A woman who decides to have an abortion for personal reason live the rest of their life with that decision. A doctor once told me the closes a woman come to death is delivering her baby. Now men rape, torture for sex and really have no idea nor care what it's like for a woman. Watching Jackie talk about her experience was more interesting watching the male's faces as she spoke. Men don't wont to hear about woman's problems. Senator Vitter just hires woman for sex and then goes home. Senator Scott Brown is supporting redefining rape to loosen the laws. But he wants us to buy his book about how he was raped as a child. Law Makers will continue to go out and get drunk get a woman knocked up and pay for her to go to an ally woman to have an abortion with a hanger as they did in the pass. As for the reason for the blocked funding it's not about woman it's because no money was given to Republicans from the Plan Parenthood. This is pay back by the Republican majority and that's all.
Wow, forget about "woman's problems". What about the huge problem you have in constructing a literate sentence? Please, take up the quality of education in this country as your primary cause.
@get real: How dare you dismiss a woman's opinion and demean her by insulting her poor writing skills. You only show your arrogance. Go troll somewhere else
I'm a little tired of hearing from some really ignorant people what I must do with my body. I don't think it is a very Christian act for Pence to take away funding from Planned Parenthood, when there is already a law that specifies no federal funding for abortion ON THE BOOKS. It does not strike me as a very compassionate act to interfere with a medical service that gives us information about our health, and treats us like people.
I'm glad that they are showing us their true colours, because if these stunts continue there might be some GOP congressmen losing their jobs in the next election. I'm going to leave this with a quote from George Carlin, who said it best. " If you're pre-term you're golden but if you are pre-school you're f**ked. If a baby grows up to be a soldier in the Army it's great, but if thae child grows up to be a doctor, they just might have to kill it? And why is it that all the people who are against abortion are the ones you don't want to have sex with anyway?"
well anya im a george carlin fan and i completly agree with you . isnt it strange that the repubilicans a party of mainly old white men wont to try and control the rights of females and what they should do with there bodies .but thats the way it has been troughout history but times are a changing what we need is more intelligent females to start getting involved in politics we trully need a hell of alot more female politicians exspecialy her in the south . im in ga and im not sure there is any here lol
Rep Spier DOES NOT IMPRESS......
Right on Laura 3075329 you stated this well Americans are not against planned parenthood they are against the way they run it with tax payer funding and encourgage young people to have abortions for screwing around. No one is saying under medical or even rape that abortions can't be performed but dismising the problem and having last weeks undercover vidieos proove just that. Planned parenthood could change the way they do this but won't because they need tax payer money to keep going. And are also rallied behing by socialist , progressives and far left Dem's. Hey you house and senate polititions who care so much for these programs how come you do not donate most of all your money and retirement for this cause you hold so dear to your hearts. people will give you credit for the donation and hell you might even get noticed on the media?
Thank goodness Rep. Spiers had the courage to stand up and describe what the reality of an abortion is to a woman. Men absolutely have no idea. Too bad there aren't more women in Congress since women are the majority in this country and are totally underrepresented. The voting for funding for Planned Parenthood would have a different result. If the men in this country try to take away legal and safe abortions in this country -- you will see women taking to the streets like you have seen around the world the past couple of weeks. There is no doubt in my mind that this would happen.
well you have to forgive hambone he is surrounded by liberals and progressives bless his heart . i think he may be starting to have a nervous breakdown .
Did you not listen to what the woman said??? This was NOT an elective procedure. The embryo had moved from her uterus into her cervix. It could well have cost her her fertility, if not her life, had the procedure not been performed. That is not "choice".
And I'm sorry if you don't want your tax dollars going toward it (they aren't -- I refer you to the Hyde Amendment), but my tax dollars go toward a lot of weapons and wars that I don't want -- so turnaround is fair play I guess.
Just because there is a Hyde Amendment does not mean that tax dollars are not funneled thru to this. All political officials find ways to pull money thru by lying or coming up with creative ways to move the money to there cause. I believe both sides do this . If medical concerns come into play then there should be a case by case on these procedures that are covered. So we can trust and verify. It should not be used for birth control because younger women do stupid things with boys. Fraud is the reason medicare cannot support itself. it over runs its budget because no one oversees them!