John and Mary Lally are prolife Democrat activists. Here is their recent fax letter to Senator's Clinton and Schumer on their votes to not fund care for poor pregnant women and their unborn children.
August 2, 2007
Dear Senator,
We were very disappointed to learn that - unlike Senators Kennedy, Kerry, Casey, Nelson, and Landrieu - you voted against the Allard amendment to the SCHIP bill on Thursday night that would have helped poor pregnant women and their unborn children obtain prenatal care - you voted against restoring a program that allows states to provide help for pregnant women in difficult financial circumstances.
This makes us seriously question your sincerity when you and other Democrats talk about favoring common ground measures that help to make abortion rare. We've been trying to convince our formerly Democratic friends and relatives that the common ground approach was the way to go legislatively regarding abortion, but you've seriously set that effort back with this vote that refuses aid to poor pregnant women.
Sincerely,
Dr. and Mrs. John J. Lally
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Go here for further reporting on the elmination of healthcare for poor pregnant women and their unborn children, on a mostly party-line vote of 49-50.
Senate Defeats Heath Care for Poor Pregnant Women and Unborn Children
In 2002, President Bush authorized a change in the SCHIP program that allowed states to cover pregnant women and their babies -- and many states such as California, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, Wisconsin and Michigan -- have done so.
Pro-life groups were thankful because the program provides help to vulnerable pregnant women who might have an abortion because of financial pressures.But abortion advocacy groups decried the move because they don't see an unborn child as worthy of coverage under a federal program that provides health care insurance for children after birth.
With control of Congress, pro-abortion lawmakers have revised the program and dropped the Unborn Child Rule in favor of language saying that pregnant women can be covered, but not their babies.
Sen. Wayne Allard, a Colorado Republican, attempted to include unborn children again, but his amendment was defeated Thursday on a 50-49 mostly party-line vote.
Republicans mostly voted in favor of the Allard amendment, including pro-life Democrats Bob Casey and Ben Nelson. Democrats Mary Landrieu and Massachusetts lawmakers John Kerry and Ted Kennedy voted for it as well.
Democrats opposed it and were joined by pro-abortion Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Ted Stevens of Alaska.
The letter that I recently sent to Senators Clinton and Schumer, effectively accusing them of refusing prenatal care to poor pregnant women and their unborn children by their vote against the Allard amendment to the SCHIP (State's Children Health Insurance Program) bill, was mistaken in that charge.
I have just learned that the LifeNews report from which I drew my information was inaccurate and misleading in this respect. (See http://www.lifenews.com/nat3248.html, which includes the following opening paragraph, not included in your summary above:
“In an ironic vote, Senate Democrats led a fight against an amendment to the SCHIP bill on Thursday night that would have helped poor pregnant women and their unborn children obtain prenatal care. They voted against restoring a program that allows states to provide help for pregnant women in difficult financial circumstances.”)
In fact, both the House bill and the Senate bill reauthorizing SCHIP allowed continuation of coverage, under the pre-existing regulations, for prenatal care to the child and the child’s pregnant mother. However the House bill shifted the focus of coverage from the child to the pregnant woman; and the Senate bill included the qualification that no congressional intent was to be inferred "regarding the legality or illegality" of the regulation. The legitimate pro-life concern here is that these changes open the possibility of moves to have SCHIP cover abortions in the future.
It was to protect the existing "unborn child" regulations that Senator Allard introduced his amendment. Clinton’s and Schumer’s votes contributed to the close defeat of the amendment, thus retaining the objectionable changes in the final Senate bill.
However, as to the point in question regarding continuation of SCHIP coverage for prenatal care for pregnant women and the babies they are carrying, in both the Senate and the House, happily, that has been reauthorized through passage of the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act by majorities, including both Clinton and Schumer.
John Lally
Posted by: John Lally | August 19, 2007 at 04:17 PM