PP and many other orgs are fighting the Stupak Amend which is about to hit the House floor for debate. Below is statement from Cecile Richards and action to take to KILL THE STUPAK AMENDMENT.
HCare reform shouldnt be done on the backs of womens civil rights. Its a brdige too far here. HCAN is also asking we try and kill this terrible amendment. They provide a list of possible yeahs and nays to target RIGHT NOW. Much more below including numbers to call and reps to target.
Lets make sure this bill, already watered down, does not water down womens rights to choose.
A call to arms by Cecile Richards head of PP:
Late yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met with leaders in the House of Representatives in their bid to eliminate women's access to abortion care under health care reform.
We have just received news that their efforts are working, and Representative Bart Stupak has introduced an amendment to the health care reform bill that will result in women losing health care coverage for abortion.
We urgently need you, and your friends and family, to call your representative. After you call, just reply to this message and let us know how it went.
If the bishops and their anti-choice partners in the House succeed, they'll permanently alter health care in America, even taking away benefits from women that they have today. The bishops want to effectively eliminate abortion coverage in both private plans and the public option. We simply cannot stand for such a discriminatory, mean-spirited attack on women.
It's a chilling ultimatum: eliminate choice for millions of women, or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will do all they can to kill health care reform. This is a true crisis for American women, and we need you to act now.
Call your representative at (202) 225-2571 and tell him or her to reject this attack on women's health — and then forward this message to your friends, your family, everyone you know and ask them to do the same (and don't forget to post the news to Facebook, Twitter — everywhere).
We need you now, more than ever. Thank you for standing strong with us in the face of this vicious last-minute attack on women. We will keep you posted on what's next.
Sincerely,
Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
P.S. Here's how you can urge others on Facebook and Twitter to call Congress.
For Facebook, post this to your status:
EMERGENCY — Representative Bart Stupak has just introduced an amendment to the health care reform bill that will eliminate coverage for abortion care. I just called my Rep and you should too. Call 202-703-9001 and ask him or her to reject the amendment.
Post this message on Twitter:
URGENT – Call yr Rep NOW to reject the Stupak amend to hlth care reform. Wld eliminate all abortion care. 202-730-9001. Pls RT.
From HCAN:
UPDATED:
USE CALL TOOL JUST SET UP TO TARGET REPS ON STUPAK AMEND. HELP FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT HERE!
http://tools.advomatic.com/...
In addition to securing general support for the House bill today, we need to
focus on two votes prior to the final House vote on the bill -
- Stupak Anti-Abortion Amendment
Talking points and House outreach targets are listed below. Please make
contacts into the DC offices to -
- Oppose the Stupak amendment
- Stupak Anti-Abortion Amendment
It still is not certain, but Stupak is likely to be allowed to offer his
anti-abortion amendment on the House floor today. We need contacts into
offices saying "vote no on Stupak's amendment". The talking points and
target members are below.
* The core premise of health reform is that - if you like the
coverage you have - you can keep it. Yet for the millions of women whose
current insurance plans include coverage for abortion care, that promise may
be broken.
* Congressman Stupak wants to place new restrictions on abortion and
deny women this coverage.
* The House bill already contains a compromise that reflects the
status quo & current law: it prohibits federal funds from being used for
abortion but still allows women to use their own money to buy the coverage
they need.
* Vote NO on the Stupak amendment
* Leaning anti-choice
o Altmire (D, PA-04)
o Barrow (D, GA-12)
o Berry (D, AR-01)
o Boccieri (D, OH-16)
o Bright (D, AL-02)
o Capito (R, WV-02)
o Donnelly (D, IN-02)
o Hill (D, IN-09)
o Jenkins (R, KS-02)
o Kildee (D, MI-05)
o Lance (R, NJ-07)
o Lee, C. (R, NY-26)
o Matheson (D, UT-02)
o Mollohan (D, WV-01)
o Ortiz (D, TX-27)
o Paulsen (R, MN-03)
o Perriello (D, VA-05)
o Rahall (D, WV-03)
o Ross (D, AR-04)
o Spratt (D, SC-05)
o Wilson, C. (D, OH-06)
* Leans pro-choice but needs shoring up
o Arcuri (D, NY-24)
o Bean (D, IL-08)
o Bishop, S. (D, GA-02)
o Boswell (D, IA-03)
o Butterfield (D, NC-01)
o Cardoza (D, CA-18)
o Chandler (D, KY-06)
o Cooper (D, TN-05)
o Costa (D, CA-20)
o Doyle (D, PA-14)
o Edwards, C. (D, TX-17)
o Etheridge (D, NC-02)
o Gordon (D, TN-06)
o Kratovil (D, MD-01)
o Langevin (D, RI-02)
o McMahon (D, NY-13)
o Michaud (D, ME-02)
o Minnick (D, ID-01)
o Neal (D, MA-02)
o Nye (D, VA-02)
o Obey (D, WI-07)
o Owens (D, NY-23)
o Ruppersberger (D, MD-02)
o Ryan, T. (D, OH-17)
o Salazar (D, CO-03)
o Space (D, OH-18)
* Unknown
o Biggert (R, IL-13)
o Carney (D, PA-10)
o Castle (R, DE-AL)
o Cuellar (D, TX-28)
o Davis, A. (D, AL-07)
o Dent (R, PA-15)
o Ellsworth (D, IN-08)
o Frelinghuysen (R, NJ-11)
o Kirk (R, IL-10)
o Lynch (D, MA-09)
o Pomeroy (D, ND-AL)
o Snyder (D, AR-02)
o Tanner (D, TN-08)
o Visclosky (D, IN-01)
Doneg McDonough
Legislative and Policy Director
Health Care for America Now
1825 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
dmcdonough@healthcareforamericanow.org