At Values Voter Summit, Social Conservatives Decry Bill To Overturn Military Abortion Ban

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 21 Sep 2010 - 5:00 PDT

Current ratings for:
'At Values Voter Summit, Social Conservatives Decry Bill To Overturn Military Abortion Ban'

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Healthcare Prof:5 stars

5 (2 votes)

Social and religious conservatives attending the Values Voters Summit over the weekend criticized an amendment included in the Senate's defense authorization bill (S 3454) that would repeal a policy prohibiting the provision of nearly all abortion services at military hospitals, even if paid for with private funds, the Washington Times reports.

During a speech at the Washington, D.C., event, Republican Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.) claimed that the amendment would lead to federally funded abortion services at military health facilities, even though the measure would require women to pay for abortion care with private funds. Inhofe urged the summit's nearly 2,000 attendees to rally against lawmakers who support the amendment, adding, "Make sure they understand that you are watching. Because if they don't think you're watching, it's going to sail through" (McLaughlin, Washington Times, 9/19).

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the amendment 15-12 in May. It would allow military servicewomen and their dependents to obtain abortion care at military hospitals if they paid for the procedure with their own money. The House passed its version of the defense spending bill (HR 5136) in May but did not include language comparable to the amendment. Many conservative lawmakers also oppose an amendment in both the House and Senate bills that would repeal the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law banning openly gay people from serving in the military.

Last week, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed a motion for cloture on the bill but said it is unlikely that the Senate will have a final vote on the measure before recessing for midterm election campaigns (Women's Health Policy Report, 9/17). According to the Times, it is not yet clear whether Democrats have the 60 votes needed to block a possible GOP filibuster, as several moderate Republicans have not indicated where they stand (Washington Times, 9/19).

GOP Politicians Rally Social Conservatives

Several other Republican politicians spoke at the summit on Friday, trying to reassure attendees that social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage would not be disregarded in the November election and beyond, the Los Angeles Times reports. The unofficial theme of the two-day Values Voters Summit -- hosted by the conservative Family Research Council -- was combining the traditional social conservative agenda with the tea party movement's agenda of fiscal and constitutional conservatism (Hennessey, Los Angeles Times, 9/18).

Several potential GOP presidential candidates spoke at the summit, including Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who won the event's presidential straw poll. Pence denounced "those who would have us ignore the battle being fought over life, marriage and religious liberty," adding, "We must demand, here and now, that the leaders of the Republican Party stand for life, traditional marriage and religious liberty without apology." The event also featured speeches from Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Delaware GOP Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell and former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) (Kiely, USA Today, 9/20).

Some Social Issues Might Be Included in GOP 'Governing Agenda'

As the tea party movement has gained traction with traditional Republican voters, some conservatives have grown increasingly concerned that politicians will devote less time to social issues, such as abortion, the Times reports. GOP leaders are looking for ways to combine the agendas of the tea party and the Republican Party, such as a list of top legislative priorities to guide campaigns (Los Angeles Times, 9/18). Republican Rep. Joseph Pitts (Pa.), who has been involved in conversations about the GOP's new "governing agenda," said that some social issues will be included, adding, "I haven't seen the language but have been told that there will be some in there" (Hooper, The Hill, 9/19).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.



Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
Visit our abortion section for the latest news on this subject.
There are no references listed for this article.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA
National Partnership for Women & Families. "At Values Voter Summit, Social Conservatives Decry Bill To Overturn Military Abortion Ban." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 21 Sep. 2010. Web.
1 Jun. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/201894.php>
APA
National Partnership for Women & Families. (2010, September 21). "At Values Voter Summit, Social Conservatives Decry Bill To Overturn Military Abortion Ban." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/201894.php.

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.


Add Your Opinion On This Article

'At Values Voter Summit, Social Conservatives Decry Bill To Overturn Military Abortion Ban'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Your Name:*
E-mail Address:*
Your Opinion Title:*
Opinion:*
This is to help prevent SPAM submissions. Please enter the words exactly as they appear, including capital letters and punctuation.*

* Fields marked with a * need to be filled in before you hit the submit button.

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.


Abortion

Most Popular Articles



Follow Our Abortion News On Twitter

Follow Us On Twitter
Get the latest news for this category delivered straight to your Twitter account. Simply visit our Abortion Twitter account and select the 'follow' option.



View list of all 'What Is...' articles »