by Madeleine Kando If the health care reform package makes it through The House tomorrow it will be a miracle.
It will be a miracle because what the passing depends on is a group of 21 members who are now ‘on the fence’. So I have been trying to find an answer to this question: ‘Why are these lawmakers against the health care bill?’ In my naïve mind, they must have a very good reason to be against it.
So I have spent hours and hours searching for the answers. Well, during my search I have discovered that 14 out of the 21 members that are ‘on the fence’ have stated that the ‘abortion provision’ in the bill is the main reason they are voting against it.
Can you imagine?! More than 60% of these representatives are going to vote against the bill because of this provision? It will make them potentially stop our country from moving towards a civilized way of dealing with health care? (Many of them are members of the so-called ‘Stupak dozen’).
You know, I came to the US many decades ago. But one of the main reasons I truly hesitated was because of this one fact: a barbaric, inhumane health care system that, back in my own country we found appalling. Holland already had a very sensible, cheap, single payer system (which is now a hybrid of private and public option).
If the reason for these 14 members were something other than the fact that the new bill might use taxpayer money to fund abortion I would listen to their argument and weigh the pros and cons. But they would rather let 45 million Americans go without health insurance than see one tiny part of their tax cover an abortion procedure.
I want to be understanding of America’s value system. I want to forgive this nation’s reactionary streak. I don’t want to be a judgemental free-thinking ex-european. But this goes beyond the pail. If the health care bill doesn’t pass tomorrow, I will know who to blame and I will not forgive. leave comment here