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Boston City Council urges Congress to provide federal abortion funding
By adamg on Wed, 09/28/2016 - 1:57pm
The council voted 12-0 today on a resolution urging Congress to repeal the Hyde Amendment and provide federal funding for abortions with government health coverage.
Councilor Ayanna Pressley (at large), who sponsored the measure, said that even in Massachusetts, which provides coverage to women on Medicaid, some women have to bear the full price, such as women in the military or Peace Corps. She added the resolution would also support women in the 33 states that do not cover the procedure, even though it is a constitutional right.
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Comments
What other constitutional
What other constitutional rights is the federal government compelled to subsidize?
Can UHub get a check for the web-hosting costs under the 1st Amendment?
Think it through ...
The government pays a Medicaid subscriber's health-care costs except for abortion, which is a medical procedure.
So you're using the wrong analogy. Unfortunately, the right analogy for your makes no sense, but here goes:
It would be comparable if the government paid my expenses for everything I write about, except abortion.
I dunno...
I don't see the Constitutional angle. If I recall, (no google), Roe was about a person's right to privacy vs government interference. The Constitution does not guarantee the right to free abortion. Hell, it doesn't guarantee health care. These payments are choices that we, as a society, choose to make to our fellow citizens.
There are people that believe that abortions are murder. There are people that believe that, but understand the type of society we live in. If they don't want their tax dollars subsidizing it, they have a legitimate concern.
The Declaration asks for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". The Constitution does not demand that we have an obligation to pay for what makes a person happy.
Also...
Also, the state chooses to pay for boston.com to write about abortion, but since Adam is on a *federal* expense plan instead of a state one, he can't take advantage of that.
Who didn't vote? Only 12
Who didn't vote? Only 12 listed.
McCarthy was not present
The vote came up at the last minute; he was gone from the chambers.
Prior commitment
Carrying Steve Murphy's water no doubt. After all, Tim lives in Hyde Park full time, unlike Murphy.
To be fair...
...the councillor has had a tough couple of weeks, personally.
What's the point of such a vote?
Congress is controlled by Republicans who would no sooner vote to repeal the Hyde Amendment than snow will fall in Hell. Every city council in the country could urge them to do so and it would all fall on deaf ears.
Moral susasion? Bully pulpit?
Boston is apparently the tenth city to urge repeal of the Hyde Amendment. And for better or worse, the city council and the mayor have taken positions on issues before that they have no direct say over. Remember the trans flag raised over City Hall?
Futile gesture in this case? Maybe. But if you feel strongly about it, and you're a city councilor ...
PR Grab
Need to get into the pinko newsfeed. Only thing they love more than dogs is dead babies.
Do you live in Boston?
If nothing else, you clearly don't know anything about the city council. She brought the resolution up at the very end of the meeting, when normally nobody pays any attention, except for us lowly people with nothing better to do with our time than sit through entire city-council meetings, so, no, not designed to grab immediate attention (amazingly, there was a TV camera guy in the chambers and a couple of MSM-type reporters today, but they were there for the goose thing).
I do
All of their offices will be sending press releases and tweets. Vomit.
Transcript of the remarks re the Resolution.
It would be good to read a transcript of the remarks re the Resolution.
It was a short discussion
You can watch it in a day or so when it goes up on the city Web site.
Here you go
Councilor Ayanna Pressley (at large), who sponsored the measure, said that:
She added:
Video [CC]: http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/cc_video_library.asp?id=11097
Remarks were in the last 10 minutes
Council Committee on Healthy Women, Families and Communities
Caption files, September 28
Available by email ccrlt at wgbh.org
http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/resources/guides/mag_guide_vol10.html
GREEN SHEETS.
WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO PULL A
MATTER FROM THE GREEN SHEETS?
COUNCILLOR PRESSLEY, YOU HAVE
THE FLOOR.
>> THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT.
I WOULD LIKE TO PULL DOCKET
NUMBER 1264 ON PAGE 5 OF 12 FROM
THE GREEN SHEETS.
>> MADAM PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU
LIKE ME TO POLL THE COMMITTEE?
>> YES, PLEASE.
SO EVERYONE HAS DOCKET NUMBER
1264 ON PAGE 5 OF 12 AND
COMMITTEE ON HEALTHY WOMEN,
FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.
MADAM CLERK PLEASE PUT IT BEFORE
THE COUNCILLOR.
>> COUNCILLOR PRESSLEY.
YES.
COUNCILLOR ESSAIBI-GEORGE,
COUNCILLOR CAMPBELL AND
COUNCILLOR BAKER.
MADAM PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU LIKE
ME TO READ IT INTO THE RECORD?
>> DOCKET NUMBER 1264 BEFORE THE
COUNCIL.
MADAM CLERK PLEASE READ INTO THE
RECORD.
>> IN THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTHY
FAMILY WOMEN AND COMMUNITIES,
DOCKET NUMBER 1264 SPONSORED BY
COUNCILLOR PRESSLEY A RESOLUTION
FALLING ON U.S. CONGRESS AND
PRESIDENT OBAMA TO REINSTATE
INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR ABORTION
SERVICES.
THIS WAS REFERRED TO COMMITTEE
ON 9-21-2016.
>> COUNCILLOR PRESSLEY.
THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT.
I FILED THIS MATTER LAST WEEK
AND I'M ASKING FOR YOUR VOTE IN
SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL WEEK OF
ACTION.
BOSTON STANDS TO BE THE TENTH
CITY TO PASS A RESOLUTION IN
SUPPORT OF AFFORDABLE
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES FOR
WOMEN.
THIS RESOLUTION CALLS ON
CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT TO
REINSTATE FEDERAL HEALTH
INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR ABORTION
CARE.
THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016,
MARX THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE FEDERAL HYDE AMENDMENT, AN
AN VERSE I DO NOT WISH TO
CELEBRATE ANY LONGER.
THE HYDE AMENDMENT DENIES WOMEN
USE OF MEDICAID INSURANCE FOR
ABORTION AND FORCES HARD-WORKING
WOMEN AND TRANS PEOPLE TO MAKE
VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS, UNFAIR
DECISIONS, OFTEN FORCED TO
CHOOSE BETWEEN PAYING THEIR
BILLS AND THEIR OWN HEALTH AND
WELL BEING.
NOW, WHILE ALL OF US DO TEND TO
FOCUS VERY DELIBERATELY ON THE
MOST PRESSING ISSUES AT THE
LOCAL LEVEL, TODAY'S HEARING HAS
BEEN EVIDENCE OF THAT, THIS
COUNCIL ALSO -- OR MEETING IS IN
EVIDENCE OF THAT -- THIS COUNCIL
ALSO HAS A STRONG RECORD OF
ADVOCATING ON FEDERAL ISSUES
ALSO AS EVIDENCED BY ACTIONS IN
THE CHAMBER TODAY, ESPECIALLY
THOSE RELATED EQUALITY.
I'M SO PROUD OF OUR PAST EFFORTS
TO STAND UP FOR IMMIGRANTS, FREE
SPEECH, FAIR ELECTION, THE
TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY AND
AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO NAME A
FEW.
WHILE OUR LEGISLATURE HAS FILLED
THE GAP FOR YEARS, TODAY I ASK
YOU TO VOTE IN SUPPORT OF THIS
RESOLUTION BECAUSE THERE ARE
STILL WOMEN AND TRANS PEOPLE WHO
CALL WONS HOME AND LIVE IN OUR
COMMONWEALTH WHO DON'T HAVE
ABORTION CARE BECAUSE THEY'RE
INSURED THROUGH OTHER INSURANCE
PROGRAMS.
I ASK FOR YOU TO SUPPORT AND
SHOW SOLIDARITY FOR WOMEN AND
TRANS PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT AS
FORTUNATE, LIVING IN ONE OF THE
33 DATES WHO DO NOT PROVIDE
EXPANDED COVERAGE.
OUR DESTINIES ARE TIED TO THEM
AS WELL.
WHETHER ONE HAS PRIVATE OR
GOVERNMENT-FUNDED HEALTH
INSURANCE, EVERY WOMAN SHOULD
HAVE COVERAGE FOR A FULL RANGE
OF PREGNANCY-RELATED CARE
INCLUDING ABORTION.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR
PRESSLEY.
I ACKNOWLEDGE THE ADVOCATES WHO
TOILED HARD TO MAKE THIS
CAMPAIGN POSSIBLE AND DO THIS
WORK EVERY DAY.
WE HAVE THE PLANNED PARENTHOOD
ADVOCACY JOINED BY THEIR C.E.O.,
ACLU, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND ALL
ABOVE ALL.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR
PRESSLEY.
WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK
ON THIS MATTER DOCKET NUMBER
1264?
AT THIS TIME COUNCILLOR PRESSLEY
MOVES FOR -- MOVES TO PASS
DOCKET 1264 -- EXCUSE ME -- TO
ADON'T THE RESOLUTION DOCKET
1264.
(VOTING)
MADAM CLERK, WHEN YOU ARE
AVAILABLE.
PLEASE CALL THE ROLE FOR DOCKET
1264.
>> SORRY ABOUT THAT.
COUNCILLOR BAKER, YES.
COUNCILLOR CAMPBELL, YES.
COUNCILLOR CIOMMO, YES.
COUNCILLOR ESSAIBI-GEORGE, YES.
COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, YES.
COUNCILLOR JACKSON, YES.
COUNCILLOR LaMATTINA, YES.
COUNCILLOR LINEHAN, YES.
COUNCILLOR McCARTHY.
COUNCILLOR O'MALLEY, YES.
COUNCILLOR PRESSLEY, YES.
COUNCILLOR WU, YES.
AND COUNCILLOR ZAKIM, YES.
>> DOCKET 1264 HAS BEEN ADOPTED
WITH 12 AFFIRMATIVE VOTES.