KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill's office was on of three stops on the "Don't Throw Women Under the Bus" tour Friday.
Organized by
Planned Parenthood of Kansas City and Mid-Missouri, not even the frigid temperatures could keep supporters away.
"Find your long johns and fleece mittens and brave the chilly weather to join us in Westport," read the message on the Planned Parenthood
facebook. Organizers selected McCaskill's office to thank her for her votes against the abortion coverage ban in ongoing health care reform on captial hill. The bus tour's name "Don't Throw Women Under the Bus" came from a quote by Liza Sabater, a former professor at Rutgers University who turned into a full-time blogger. Sabater accused Democratic House lawmakers of "throwing women under the bus" by voting for the Stupak amendment restricting abortion access and funding to the health care reform bill.
Critics say the amendment could leave millions of women without insurance for reproductive health services, because it would bar any health plan purchased even partly with new federal subsidies from covering an abortion. The bottom line is that the ban could take away coverage women currently have.
"That's the part that is terribly troubling," said Alison Gee with Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis region. "One of the underlying core values in this health care reform is that, if you like the coverage you've got, you get to keep it."
An amendment to remove the abortion coverage in the Senate bill recently failed, but abortion rights advocates are concerned a similar amendment in the House version will remain in the final health plan. Lawmakers who support the amendment argue they're not aiming to revoke a woman's right to abortion, but only wish to prevent the use of federal funds to pay for it. They cite polls that show most Americans, even some who support abortion rights, do not want taxpayer dollars paying for the procedure.
Gee says they've expressed their disappointed with Sen. Kit Bond for voting for the amendment by taking their bus tour to his offices around the state.
"We would like him to reconsidered his vote so that when the bill comes back up for another vote. We hope that he will vote for health care reform that does not put further restrictions on access to abortion for women."
