BRUNNER SAYS U.S. HOUSE ACTION MOVES WOMEN'S RIGHTS BACKWARD

MOMocrats are happy to welcome back guest poster Ohio Secretary of State and Senate Candidate Jennifer Brunner as she comments about the Stu-Pitts action in the House and the untenable effect it has on women's right to access legal health care. She sent this official statement, which we are running in its entirety:

Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner today called the House passage of a last-minute anti-choice amendment to health reform an insult to Ohio women and an assault on the right to privacy -- and strongly urged the Senate to protect a woman's right to choose. Brunner said that while passage of the health care reform bill is on balance a positive step, it is critically important that America not allow the anti-choice forces to achieve through Congressional statute what the courts have repeatedly refused - the elimination of a woman's right to choose.

The amendment, offered by anti-choice Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA), was adopted late Saturday by a vote of 240-194. The Stupak-Pitts amendment makes it virtually impossible for private insurance companies that participate in the new system to offer abortion coverage to women - even if they pay for it with their own funds. The Stupak-Pitts amendment would leave Ohio women worse off than they are today by denying them the right to use their own money to purchase an insurance plan with abortion coverage in the new health system - a policy far more far-reaching than the Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited public funding of abortions since 1977. Presently, more than 85 percent of private-insurance plans cover abortion services.

"By voting yesterday to block women from essential reproductive health care services, the anti-choice obstructionists in Congress have abandoned Ohio women and would legislate a woman's constitutional right to choose ineffective at best," Brunner said. "The final health care bill must not only guarantee each Ohioan's right to the health care they need when they need it, it also must also provide access to reproductive health services for all, regardless of income level and regardless of whether or not they receive government subsidized care," Brunner added. "Universal health care is based on the principle that health care should be equally accessible to all citizens. Universal health care does not allow income to determine who gets care and services, and who does not. The Stupak-Pitts amendment violates this basic tenet."

Brunner added that the beneficial impact of the overall bill for Ohio was undeniable. "This bill provides employer-based coverage for more Ohio families, provides coverage to hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who are currently without any coverage, eliminates pre-existing conditions and caps imposed on families by insurance companies, reduces the cost of uncompensated care for thousands of Ohio doctors and hospitals, closes the prescription donut hole for tens of thousands of Ohio seniors, and, most importantly, reduces premiums for millions of hard working Ohioans. It is a good bill, but its passage hinged on denying women services for health care that only women may choose. This is unconscionable. The Senate must remedy the untenable and inequitable sacrifice that this bill would require of women and children in the United States," said Brunner.

Jennifer Brunner was elected twice as a judge, and won an open seat for Ohio Secretary of State with a 15-point lead over 3 other candidates in the general election. As Secretary of State, she was awarded the JFK Library Foundation's Profile in Courage award for fighting for needed election reforms related to voting machine reliability and security. The Profile in Courage Award is considered the nation's most prestigious honor for elected public servants.

Comments

[PunditMom/Joanne Bamberger]

I *heart* Jennifer Brunner.

[Jeff Coryell]

Jennifer Brunner is a fantastic candidate and deserves our support! She is great on the issues, and she is a smart, competent, compassionate person.

Not only does Ohio really need a woman's voice in the U.S. Senate, the nation needs more women Senators than the 17 (out of 100) that we currently have!

Please, help Jennifer win this race. Visit ActBlue at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/21794 and contribute what you can, even if it is a small amount it really helps.