Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:42 pm
Image Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images
A win for Democrats and sanity, thanks to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Facing yet another emergency situation to fund the government due to Speaker John Boehner’s inability to get anything done on his own because of his crazy and divided caucus, Democrats hold more power than their minority status would indicate.
Nancy Pelosi knew the government must be funded to avoid a shutdown, but she instructed Democrats to draw the line at changes to Obamacare and specifically, House conservatives’ attempts to attach a policy rider to the “Cromnibus” funding bill (2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill) that would bizarrely give corporations more rights and women less, according to Lauren French at Politico.
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Yes, Republicans thought that they’d use a funding bill to control women’s access to contraception while giving corporations more rights. Republicans wanted to give corporations a “conscience clause” that would allow them to refuse to fund contraception as Obamacare instructs, if they have a moral or religious problem with it. (Again, corporations can’t have a religion. They are not people, no matter what Republicans and this SCOTUS say. If they have morals that are legally recognized, then they should be held accountable for acting immorally. That would be fun.)
From Politico:
Pelosi tapped Democratic negotiators to draw “a firm line” against any changes that focused on the so-called ‘conscience clause’, a senior Democratic source said. There were no direct conversations about contraceptives between Pelosi and Speaker John Boehner or House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
And Democrats were broadly opposed to any additions to the government spending bill that would change the 2010 health care law.
Leader Pelosi released a cautious statement following the filing of the bill, noting that it only includes only short-term funding for Homeland Security:
“Our goal has always been to keep government open, and to accomplish that goal in a bipartisan manner. We have confidence in our appropriators as they have over the last weeks sought to negotiate a position that represents the values of our Caucus.
“Until we review the final language, we cannot make a determination about whether House Democrats can support this legislation, but I am hopeful.”
Republicans keep trying to use basic things like funding the government as a weapon to impose their religious beliefs on others. In this case, Republicans wanted to give corporations the right to refuse women access to a basic aspect of their healthcare. Contraception is not just a family planning tool, it is also used in numerous ways for women’s health.
For conservative Republicans, corporations are people but women are not.
Luckily, Nancy Pelosi is in the House to head off the most egregious Republican misogyny… this time.
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