It's Time to Stop Anti-Choice Stupak: Elect Connie Saltonstall

We may have a Democratic majority in Congress, but we most definitely do not have a pro-choice majority as demonstrated by the health reform struggle with crystal clarity. While fellow blogger Pema Levy suggests five actions Congress can take to pay women back for supporting the health reform bill even with gag-inducing reproductive rights restrictions, our current representatives aren't likely to do the right thing for their female constituents.

At the glaring forefront of the anti-choice Congressional majority is Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who has provided conservative Catholic bishops with their very own vote in the House and nearly crashed health reform with his demands to strip women of their reproductive rights. I, for one, am sick and tired of these conservative Democrats changing the party into Republican-lite. We need to elect a real pro-choice progressive to take Stupak's spot, and the person for the job is Connie Saltonstall.

Saltonstall, challenging Stupak in the Michigan primary, was recently endorsed by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America. She calls Stupak's threat to thwart health reform unless he got his way on restricting abortion "reprehensible," especially when 44,000 uninsured Michigan residents will benefit from the bill, he originally promised that he would support the vital bill no matter how his own amendment fared, and the Hyde Amendment already bars federal funding from being used for abortion anyway.

ActBlue is raising funds for Saltonstall's primary challenge against Stupak; so far $80,000 has been donated, far short of what she will need to mount a real campaign against the incumbent. If we want to see someone who will speak up for reproductive justice, we should help elect Connie Saltonstall -- and it will send a message to the Democratic Party leadership that kowtowing to the anti-choicers and ignoring women's rights is not a viable political strategy.