The problem isn’t just selling out women to pass a bill. It goes deeper than that.
Pelosi needed the votes, but she was never cornered. Even if she needed the amendment to pass reform, she had the option to stem the pain, to offer some promise to women that Democrats’ support for the right to choose is more than momentary political convenience. Instead, the women who worked hard for a Democratic majority got sold down the river, into a future where insurance that covers abortion will become totally unavailable.
The other problem is with the virtually nonexistent pro Choice movement in America. I don’t understand why this hasn’t been more part of the discussion. Pro-Choicers haven’t been able to organize themselves to create power and decades. Their legislative strategy involves a shrll reactionary posture and no proactive planning for rolling back restrictions on choice. They connect with natural constituencies in the Feminist-y online media space as an afterthought, rather than a dedicated goal.
