LIVID update 11/16/09

[Anonymous]

For those of you who remember and are interested, I thought I would give you the update of what has been going on.

I spent a great deal of time this summer on Capitol Hill talking to Senate staffers about the unfairness of the abortion rider restrictions. I visited between 25 and 30 offices. With respect to the federal employees, the abortion rider has been left out of the appropriations bill on the Senate side. Thank you Senator Durbin. The House version still has the rider. It looks like all the appropriations bills will be wrapped up in an omnibus bill and we are hoping that the Senate version will rule the day.

Stupak amendment. The Center for Reproductive Rights just launched an ad on cable that you will be seeing in primetime starting tomorrow. The CRR held a press conference today to introduce the ad and to discuss how even more burdensome the Stupak amendment is for women and how it goes further than any other bill. I also spoke at the press conference telling my story today. NPR, CPS and Fox News(yeah, shocked me too) along with other media outlets. They were allowed to audio tape my speech but not photograph or use the video camera. I don't know if you will hear me on any of the news stories or if the coverage will focus mostly on the onerous burden of the amendment in the healthcare bill. I am hoping that it gets lots of coverage, but who knows.

For those of you who don't know what I am talking about. I am a federal employee who had an anencephalic pregnancy last year and found out after I had the abortion that I wasn't covered under my federal insurance because of funding restrictions that only cover abortions in cases of "rape, incest or life of the mother." My insurance carrier said that because my life was not in danger I could have carried to term and that I wasn't covered. There are several threads and updates in the archives (if that is what you want to call it) of DCUM.

[Anonymous]

I have been thinking about you and your experience as this whole healthcare bill has evolved.

Thank you for sharing your story and continuing to press this important point.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for your work on this! I was appalled by what happen with the Stupak amendment and it is so important for people to understand the impact of it. You are courageous for telling your personal story!

[Anonymous]

OP, I am sending you mad love and respect and virtual hugs and thanks.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of us out here thinking of you, and those like you, and doing everything we can to try and stand in the way of this debacle. Down with Stupak!

[Anonymous]

I don't fully understand what you are talking about, but I am sorry you had an anencephalic pregnancy and had to go through an abortion, and think that cases of fetus non-viability should also be covered by insurance.

[Anonymous]

why the weird dig on Fox News?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why the weird dig on Fox News?

This was a joke - right?

[Anonymous]

OP, thank you for fighting this important fight for women and families. it's just galling beyond words what some legislators think they can get away with!

[Anonymous]

OP, thank you so much for the update and for continuing to fight for this important issue.

[Anonymous]

As someone who generally does not think the government should pay for some types of abortions, I wanted to say that I support OP's cause. I do not want to start a fight, I want to do the opposite. There are differing views about abortion but even those of us who have a more restricted view of it can agree that a non-viable fetus should not have to be carried to term by the already burdened mother.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I was wondering if someone could clarify- I just looked up the Stupak amendment (because I didn't know what it was), and it said that the exceptions are "illness, disorder, injury, or rape". So wouldn't that pay for abortions in cases such as the OP's? Please clarify if I misunderstand. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

PP I don't know where you are getting your information Stupak restrictions are rape, incest, life of the mother. In addition, Stupak restricts any insurance company from offering abortion coverage if they are going to be a part of the health care exchange. That means that if a self employed person is buying coverage and paying for it himself or herself through the exchange, their insurance coverage cannot cover any type of abortion coverage.

[Anonymous]

OP, thank you for all you are doing. As a lobbyist I know how brutal it is to go into offices and tell the same thing again and again-- and I haven't even suffered the wrongdoing that you have. You are doing all of us a great service.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry for your loss OP.

Just out of curiosity, and not to trivialize the situation, but could your doctor have just coded the abortion differently - like say it was a D&C?