Nancy Pelosi’s abortion comments spark blogger battle
Conservatives on the web were outraged over the Pelosi’s of a House-passed abortion bill.
Close By TIM MAK | 10/14/11 2:07 PM EDT
The blogosphere erupted after the Republican-controlled House passed the “Protect Life Act,” an anti-abortion bill that got internet commentators well off the usual well-trodden topics of the economy and the 2012 election. The legislation is intended to prevent federal funds from being used for health plans that cover abortion services and also mandates health plans not be able to discriminate against health care institutions which morally object to abortion and decline to perform the procedure. Much of the blogosphere controversy centered around remarks by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who claimed on Thursday that the measure would ultimately let women “die on the floor and health care providers do not have to intervene… It’s just appalling.” Conservatives on the web were outraged over the characterization of the bill. “Nancy Pelosi has taken hyperbolic statements to a new level today with this sound bite,” said Ben Howe at RedState. “In the world of Democrats… affording religious groups the right to not murder babies against their will has become synonymous with leaving dying women on the floor.” “Not quite Pelosi, Republicans simply believe helpless babies shouldn’t be killed in the womb,” wrote Katie Pavlich at the conservative website Townhall. “Ms. Pelosi, what’s appalling is that you want health care providers to have to cooperate with the murder of babies in the womb,” added Tina Korbe at the conservative website Hot Air. President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the bill, something that progressive bloggers have seized upon to argue that the Republicans are wasting time with an effort that will inevitably fail when they should be focusing on jobs. “Demonstrating yet again that Republicans prefer waging a war on women than a war on unemployment, the House passed an anti-abortion bill that appropriately has been deemed the ‘Let Women Die’ bill,” writes a blogger at the liberal Balloon Juice blog. “Let’s just say I’m glad my uterus is in President Obama’s capable hands.” “So what’s this all about? A colossal waste of time to keep the crazy scary base happy… Meanwhile, Speaker Boehner, where are the jobs?” echoes Joan McCarter at Daily Kos. Progressive bloggers said that the passage of the bill in the House was a step backwards for reproductive rights, while conservatives argued that it was victory for religious freedom. “The religious right is making a desperate all-out effort to roll back women’s reproductive rights, and a bizarre fetus-worshipping circus took place today in Congress as the fundamentalist loons put on an emotional ultrasound show for the right wingers about to vote on the falsely named ‘Protect Life Act,’” said a post at the liberal Little Green Footballs. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65987.html#ixzz1arUw9uCV