I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat and outspoken anti-abortion activist, appeared Thursday morning on ABC’s Good Morning America to announce that he and 11 House members would not support the U.S. Senate’s version of health care reform due to their belief it offers a taxpayer subsidy of abortion services.
Iowa Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin shot back on his morning conference call with reporters, instructing Stupak to read the Senate bill.
“Mr. Stupak is, sadly, totally misinformed,” Harkin said. “I hope he reads the bill, and I hope he talks with people here. We have plenty of people who share his philosophy on that who voted for our bill in the Senate. … There is no provision in the Senate bill that allows the federal government to subsidize or otherwise pay for abortions. It is simply not so — and saying it doesn’t make it so.”
Stupak was the author of the Stupak Amendment, which was ultimately folded in the U.S. House’s version of health care reform. That amendment limited access to reproductive services, including abortion, for people who would receive federal subsidies or purchase health insurance through proposed marketplace exchanges. The exact language of the Stupak Amendment was considered by the U.S. Senate, and failed on a 54-45 vote.
Although Stupak is adamant that the language could still be included in the bill if the reconciliation process is used to place it on the president’s desk, Harkin says that process is limited to fiscal concerns.
“You can’t deal with that in reconciliation. Reconciliation can only deal with money matters — saving money and that sort of thing. You can’t deal with policy,” Harkin said. “Abortion is a policy position, not a money position.”
Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services also appeared on ABC and said the current national climate regarding abortion should not be allowed to derailed health care reform.
“This is about changing the health care system to ease the burden on [the] families and small businesses facing skyrocketing insurance premiums,” she said.
Calling the Senate bill “totally unacceptable,” Stupak told George Stephanopoulos that he does not believe there is enough support in the U.S. House for passage. Harkin, however, points to the apparent waning support of the Stupak language and promised that reform would pass — hopefully by March 26.
“I don’t know if Mr. Stupak is right on his 11 votes,” Harkin said. “He had more than that before… but, if he is down to 11, he’s losing.”
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