House Republicans' laser-like focus on jobs and the economy took yet another detour today, with the GOP majority bringing the latest in a series of anti-abortion bills to the House floor.
The House on Thursday rejected a Republican bill that would impose fines and prison terms against doctors who perform abortions for the sole purpose of controlling the gender of the child, a practice known as "sex-selective" abortion. [...]
"This is an important issue to the American people," [House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)] said to reporters off the floor. "This type of sex selection most Americans find pretty repulsive, and our members feel strongly about it. That's why it is being brought to the floor."
So, 158 days before Election Day, "jobs, jobs, jobs" is nice, but "sex-selective" abortion is "an important issue to the American people."
In this case, the bill, called the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), failed on a 246-168 vote. While 246 votes is a clear majority, Boehner brought this up on the suspension calendar, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass.
Opponents, including the vast majority of House Democrats, characterized the bill as a response to a manufactured controversy, with a legislative remedy that goes too far.
As Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) explained today, "The bill includes a provision that would allow a woman's husband or parents, by merely alleging that an abortion is because of gender, to seek injunctive relief to prevent the doctor from performing abortion procedures, sending an incredibly private and personal decision into the courts."
With this vote out of the way, the House can get back to the hard work of raising interest rates on student loans and not passing jobs bills.
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Sex can be determined by examining the chromosomes before deploying the sperm. Two X, take a seat, little lady. One X and one Y, go get 'em, son! (I say this as the father of many children.)
Until Obama or the Democrats make a statement on the issue of abortion, then it goes a little something like this:
Is there any evidence that this is an actual practice going on anywhere in the US? Sounds suspiciously like the kind of made-up problem that looks sexy on a press release. Not unlike the satanic cults that are supposedly all around us that some loony rails against from time to time.
Here's what's likely happening: they want to reduce the American worker to the state of the Chinese worker, and they're afraid that they'll also import the Chinese habit of being selective about the sex of their child. If Americans start aborting their unwanted girl children, who will the GOP have to oppress? They're looking out for their future, for sure.
It's not. What the Teathugs will do now is scream, "See the Democrats are for sex selective abortion!' Mark my words, that'll be the talking point from the reich wing on this topic.
Just more evidence that the GOP has fully embraced Romney’s election strategy. They will do and say ANYTHING to win. No one but an idiot could have supported this law. It would be impossible to enforce. The GOP's cynicism is boundless.
So much for Bonehead's JOBS, JOBS, JOBS agenda when the GOP took back the House! Lie, obfuscate, distort, distract - it's what the GOP does, because the only agenda they have is robbing from the middle & poor further, pay for tax cuts for the wealthy! Yep, those are morals, family values, decency, for the the quality of American lives! Liars all!
I think the state legislatures should start attaching redundant abortion censures to every Jobs, unemployment relief, and progressive tax increase, just so that these bills will at least get heard.
And yet the GOP and Mitt Romney remain competitive....The American people get the government they vote for. Voters vote in these clowns. The 20th century may have been the American century but I do not hold much hope for the 21st century.
I take this as a sign of hope...that not every member of congress is TOTALLY deranged...
Why did he bring it up on the "suspension calendar?" So his individual members could claim they voted to restrict abortions. And so the GOP contenders could use the vote "in favor of sex-selective abortions" in their ads against Dem incumbents.
Clearly, purely, 100% in order to get the record of the vote, not to enact any law. Because it wouldn't have got through the Senate anyway.
These people should not be in charge of anything. Nothing personal Boehner, but you are just a joke, same with Cantor and McConnell. Sick people willing to throw away the economy, in order to cut unions, pensions and jobs but not going to do anything but say no, control women and protect tax cuts.
"We Republicans know that only class and income level should be used to determine reproductive rights."
This strikes me as similar to Kansas passing legislature so that Sharia Law can't be used in court decisions or something like that. A stupid legislative solution to a problem that exists only in the minds of moronic Republicans.
The teapubs are all about passing "just in case" laws. Like voter fraud. They are passing voter suppression laws "just in case" there's voter fraud. Now they are trying to pass "anti-gender abortions" because we are buying so much American junk from China they are afraid we will start promoting "gender abortions".
Are there any adults left in the teapub party?
Yeah, you got that right. Prevent people from being free Americans, putting obstacles to decide their own elected officials, making legal things become difficult to be be free. They are all about big government.
The sad thing is that all the restrictions they wish to impose are to their way of thinking a guarantee of liberty. I remain convinced that to the right, the only freedom they value is the freedom from choice. Having real choices risks uncertainty and the possibility of making the wrong choice.
Washington REPUBLICANS are so damn RUTHLESS, that for over three years now, they have REPEATEDLY FILIBUSTERED AGAINST ALL JOBS LEGISLATION.
At the same time THEY HAVE DESTROYED over 500,000 AMERICAN JOBS from the public sector.
Another interesting note…the MAJORITY OF JOBS in this county has been LOST IN STATES CONTROLLED BY REPUBLICANS!
Ask yourself this question; just what kind of callous cold blooded swill would do crap like this to their own country, to their fellow Americans.
KNOWING that even if a woman CHOSE to have a child she COULDN'T AFFORD TO FEED IT!
Just stop for a moment and think about THAT.
....How freakin' SICK AND MERCILESS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY with all their "Young Guns" have actually become.
…And all in just 42 short months…
Essentially, the anti-abortion vote yesterday dealt with issues raised in this undercover video (and others) at a New York Planned Parenthood facility recorded a little over a month ago.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6Fz2KLSxDzc
Barbarism.
I'm sure Rachel showed this on her television show this week; surely she wouldn't have deprived her audience of this kind of vital information that helps one to accurately develop their worldview?...especially when it takes place so close to the area from where she broadcasts?
I guess I'm trying to understand New York City liberalism:
One should be 'pro-choice' with regards to ALL things abortion - including having abortions solely for the purposes of sex selection.....
.....but they should be 'anti-choice' when it comes to purchasing a 64 ounce Slurpee, Big Gulp or other extra-large drink. This, of course, is the current major 'crisis' of Mayor Bloomberg.
Ah, leftism.....
Yeah, I don't think this bill was meant to really be passed and implemented into law. It was just something to do so that either side can make a few statements and rouse up some publicity and bad mouth their opponents.
The Pro-life crowd can compare the pro-choice crowd to chinese officials controlling reproduction. Also, they can focus on certain parts of the law that say the doctor doesn't have to even ask or about gender preference.
The Pro-Choice crowd can point to the fact that mere allegations could and would greatly hinder a woman's right to choose, invade her privacy, and scare doctors who provide these services.
This is just one more ridiculous law created to drive a wedge between both sides.
On the issue of China; 58% of their population under the age of 23 is Male. Jokes on them. HA! HA! I can't wait to see what happens when they figure out that Crime rates and suicide rise exponentially as the gender gap grows. HA! HA! What Morons.