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Kevin ClarkeOctober 02, 2009

While the U.S. media was burning through precious fossil fuels, dedicating megawatts to Obama's OLYMPIAN FAILURE!!! ("Wonderful Copenhagen" my left foot!) and David Letterman's news of the weird, other things were happening on the planet that you might find of interest. Two young Iranians were detailing the depraved brutality that a illegitimate regime will resort to in order to cling to power. Unspeakable suffering was visited upon the people of the Philippines, Indonesia and Samoa. (Here's how you can help.) The public option on health care began to look nearer to an early legislative demise; unemployment ticked up toward 10 percent (unofficially well past that already); the tired, poor and tempest tossed stopped coming to America, and U.S. Catholic bishops were questioning commitments to keep abortion funding out of health reform proposals.

Now back to the important stuff. I think if Michelle's dress had looked better and Jon Gosselin had gone to Denmark instead of Obama . . . 

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15 years 9 months ago
As far as I am aware, the Baucus bill still contains abortion neutrality provisions.  If they had been watered down, it would have been above the fold.  The question is, what happens to these provisions when Harry Reid merges that bill with the Kennedy bill, what happens on the floor and what happens in conference committee.  Waxman in the House has some definite opinions on this.
 
I would advise the bishops to not overreach, as some in the movement have been trying to do of late, and to instead take the Bauchus abortion language and get someone to offer it as an amendment to the House bill when it comes to the floor there.
 
Of course ending the controversey early would stop health care opponents from using abortion as cover for not supporting the bill.  It would also damage pro-life opportunists who want to fundraise on the issue - especially the Republican Party.

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