Opinion Columnist Jessica Valenti argues against a pro-life agenda that’s really pro-death.
Some members of the GOP would rather see women dead than see them have abortions — and they’re not afraid to admit it.
The new bill H.R. 358, introduced last month by Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., and inappropriately named the “Protect Life Act,” would allow publicly funded hospitals to deny women abortions that would save their lives. That’s right, the bill would let women die before giving them access to a safe, legal medical procedure.
Right now, under the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act, hospitals that get Medicare or Medicaid funds must provide emergency assistance to patients — whether the patient can pay or not, and whether or not the health care provider morally supports the necessary treatment. If they don’t want to provide free aid, they must stabilize patients and transfer them to a hospital that will.
H.R. 358, which prohibits federal funding for abortion under last year’s health care reform law (seemingly unnecessary, since the Hyde Amendment already does this), not only would let hospitals deny women lifesaving abortions, but would do away with the requirement that medical providers transfer patients to a hospital where doctors were willing to perform the abortion. Hospital staff and medical professionals could literally sit and watch a woman die, doing nothing to help her.
Credit: The Daily (www.thedaily.com)
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