Now I admit that I’m tired from this whole “working two jobs” thing, but I just finished this Care2 post on Stupak (yes, another one- I don’t take getting held over a barrel by Democrats lightly).  I tried to rif a bit on Obama’s theme of “sacrifice” and what that means in terms of passing health care reform and it got me thinking a kind of impolite thought.

Senator Nelson (from Nebraska, how fitting) announced his intent of offering his version of Stupak.  Yup.  Two Democrats sacrificing womens health during a time when health care reform could pass, with Hyde Amendment restrictions in place, without a real issue.  So this is what it looks like when my folks are in charge?  No thanks.  I’ll pass.

What does it say about Democrats that Hyde has become our floor?  A party that purports to advocate for equal access for all Americans has as its starting argument the idea that in no way will federal dollars go to help millions of women access reproductive health services.  Nope.  If you are poor I sure hope your miscarriage is successful because we won’t subsidize the necessary surgery to remove it if it’s not.  I’m so sorry for the loss of your child, but you’re going to have to figure out how to pay for its removal.  Yes, it is a tragedy.  I know.  I’m sorry.  Next.

What?  You didn’t realize those are the kinds of services that fall under the moniker “abortion”?  They are.  Kinda makes this issue a little more complicated then those on the religious right would have us believe, huh.

Getting back to the Democrats.  We’re in power and what do we do?  Prohibit private dollars going to private plans to cover these kinds of procedures.  Why, exactly?  Because the religious right has dominated and distorted the abortion debate for decades while groups like Planned Parenthood failed to enter the political fray as a countervailing voice of SCIENCE and MEDICINE because they wanted to stress they provided health policy not politics.  Well, we’ve seen where that strategy has led.

So now they are stepping it up.  It’s about time.  Take that as constructive criticism.  I’ve blogged plenty about my own personal queasiness with the abortion issue here, and while I’ve always been passionate about reproductive health I haven’t always consistently advocated on behalf of it.  So lump me in with that group of well-intentioned white women that really got a bug in their pants once their own health care was on the line.  Guilty as charged and guilty as hell.  I’m so sorry.

I guess as a result I’m kind of on overkill, and I’d ask you to join me.  Seriously.  You can think abortion is horrible and still oppose Stupak/Nelson (okay, so as of this post it wasn’t called that, but whatever, it will be).  Mostly because the party that I worked my tits off to put in power just hoisted me on my petard.  They sold me down the river and they think they can get away with it.  I’m sure it has something to do with our ingrained cultural default of the ever-sacrificing maternal archetype but honestly, I’m spread a little too thin to unpack it all right now.

But they can’t.  At least not without a fight.