Sen. Ben Nelson’s amendment: “Insulting, humiliating… it demonizes women”

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The senator from Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company, Ben Nelson (D-NE), after consulting over the weekend with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops USCCB – (Office of Media Relations) U.S. Bishops Urge Senators to Support Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment on Health Care Reform, introduced his anti-abortion amendment on Monday which is nearly identical to the C-Street Boys' Stupak-Pitts Amendment adopted in the House. Daily Kos: Nelson Goes The Full Stupak.

Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said he expected that all but a few Republicans would support the Sen. Ben Nelson’s (D-NE) amendment, which would restrict access to abortions for women who receive federal subsidies. Nelson amendment expected to fall short even with GOP support – TheHill.com:

But the amendment is likely to be subject to the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, and Kyl does not expect 20 votes on the other side to back the controversial change.
 
“Most Republicans will but I don’t think that will be enough to carry it through, it’s a 60-vote margin,” Kyl told The Hill.

Monday was an opportunity for women senators to blast Sen. Nelson, and firebrand Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) let him have it with both barrels. Mikulski to Nelson: “Why not have men buy an abortion rider for the women they get pregnant” | The Moderate Voice:

“[This bill] allows women to purchase an abortion rider. Oh, boy. Is this supposed to be big deal? Is this supposed to be the kind of thing that’s supposed to make us happy? What an insulting, humiliating thing to say: if you want an abortion, go buy a rider”… [I think it demonizes women…]

[And how about why not have men buy an abortion rider for the women they get pregnant?]

Watch the video:

And here’s another great idea: health care plans allowed to coerce women to get sterilized in order to get health care coverage:

Sen. Nelson says he will not vote for a final bill that does not include his anti-abortion amendment. This makes the alleged "moderates from Maine," senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, important to achieving the 60 votes for cloture to end debate and bring a final bill to a vote. Ben Nelson and the senator from the "insurance capitol of the world," Traitor Joe Lieberman (the party of me! -CT), cannot be counted on for this procedural vote. Send your e-mails and make your phone calls.

UPDATE: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) challenged “the men who have brought us this” to “single out a procedure that’s used by a man or a drug that is used by a man that involves his reproductive health care and say they have to get a special rider.” Think Progress » Boxer’s message to men who support abortion riders: How would you like it if we singled out Viagra?

BOXER: There’s nothing in this amendment that says if a man some days wants to buy Viagra, for example, that his pharmaceutical coverage cannot cover it, that he has to buy a rider. I wouldn’t support that. And they shouldn’t support going after a woman using her own private funds for her reproductive health care. Is it fair to say to a man you’re going to have to buy a rider to buy Viagra and this will be public information that could be accessed? No, I don’t support that. I support a man’s privacy, just as I support a woman’s privacy.

Watch it:

UPDATE:The Senate voted on Tuesday to table the Ben Nelson Amendment on a vote of 54-45, effectively killing the amendment. Senate Tables Nelson Abortion Amendment