Dems Back Off On Family Planning Provision

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Domestic Issues

(AP)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew the ire of the conservative-leaning Drudge Report Sunday when she defended House Democrats' efforts to include family planning funding for low income Americans in the planned $825 million stimulus package.

On ABC's This Week, Pelosi suggested that expanding family planning services will reduce government costs, presumably because there would be fewer children for the government to care for.

Contraception, Pelosi said, "will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

The comment prompted an incredulous Drudge to write that the House Speaker "seemed to imply babies are somehow a burden on the treasury."

Now it looks like House Democrats are backing off that effort: The Associated Press is reporting that they are "likely to jettison" plans to include the family planning funding, "following a personal appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation."

A final decision on whether to kill the provision is expected today, the same day that the president meets with House and Senate Republicans to seek input on the stimulus package.

Republicans have been harshly critical of the plan.

"How you can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives how does that stimulate the economy?" House Republican Leader John Boehner said last week, according to the AP.

The proposed provision would make it so that states would no longer need federal permission to offer contraception and other family planning services under Medicaid.

Even if it's removed, however, House Republicans appear poised to oppose the stimulus plan.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by memphoman2 January 29, 2009 11:21 AM EST: The interview i saw on The Morning Show with Nancy Pelosi was as lame as it gets. The question was asked how adding the 350 million in the stimulous package for STD prevention created jobs, and she never answered. And the pretty young lady asking the question NEVER pressed for the answer. If this is your idea of reporting, I''m going to swith over to SportsCenter full time.; Reply to this comment


by robert2237 January 28, 2009 2:16 AM EST: Posted by kansas1946 at 08:11 PM : Jan 27, 2009
+ report abuse
If our government wants fewer children to care for, they should stop Child Protective Services from fraudulently taking children from their parents in order to receive huge amounts of federal dollars.CPS has turned our children into a money market and the federal government is paying the tab.

I fully agree with that. Here in Oklahoma most or a lot of the foster parents are DHS workers so when they need a new child their friends in DHS run out and take one from some poor family to make sure their friend is making the required income.; Reply to this comment


by robert2237 January 28, 2009 2:13 AM EST: This bill is not a bill to help the economy at all. It has become only one thing, the spending bill for the far left agenda. If it was a bill to help the people of America it would have none of this non profit junk in it. It would have only spending that would help create jobs and help those who have lost their job. Me as a independent, think we should do something but what they are doing is going to kill the ecomony not help it. So don''t pass it we will be better off in the long run. This is a Congress problem not Obama. I think Obama wants to do the best for the country but his biggest problem now and in the next 2 to 4 years (depending on what happens in 2 years elections) is going to be the far far left in Congress and Senate not the Rep. most Rep. see a need to help but like Obama want to do the best for the people not the best for the far far left bunch. good luck to Obama if he fails, the only ones that can be blamed is the Speaker of the House and her group and Reid and his group. Obama will do his best and most of the congress and senate will but those two have enought that will follow what they say just to get relected that they will over rule what ever Obama wants.; Reply to this comment


by kansas1946 January 27, 2009 11:11 PM EST: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew the ire of the conservative-leaning Drudge Report Sunday when she defended House Democrats'' efforts to include family planning funding for low income Americans in the planned $825 million stimulus package.
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Good God. Democrats, quit trying to stick every pet wish-list on this bill, and get the damned thing passed. We need to get the economy moving, and when the country is making money again, when people are working, paying taxes, then you can worry about birth control for poor folks. I think condoms are realitively cheap. You can''t fix stupid, and in this day and age if someone can''t figure out how not to get pregnant, then we have bigger problems than the economy.; Reply to this comment


by unhappygramm January 27, 2009 11:04 PM EST: If our government wants fewer children to care for, they should stop Child Protective Services from fraudulently taking children from their parents in order to receive huge amounts of federal dollars.CPS has turned our children into a money market and the federal government is paying the tab.; Reply to this comment


by renegademav January 27, 2009 10:20 PM EST: Yur arguements are fine, but HOW does that stimulate the economy? Nothing in this bill is going to increase consumer spending one bit (unless the Pelosi worshipers start spending just because Bush is no longer involved). This plan is not much differant than the One Bush, Pelosi and Reid passed last year and look at how good that did. Come on people, stop calling Democrats or Republicans silly lttle school yard names and pay attention to the facts. Pelosi does not care about you, just sending more money to the big money people of the Finance and Mortgage industries. This new plan does not much more than that, just like the first one.; Reply to this comment


by starleo146 January 27, 2009 6:16 PM EST: I realize that the republicans like to tap dance IE:Senator Craig,but quit tap dancing around the issues that can prevent health problems,; Reply to this comment


by starleo146 January 27, 2009 6:13 PM EST: Well if the republicans would get their heads out of the ultra christian right butt holes they would see that providing family planning and contraceptives might just drastically reduce abortions and children born into families who cannot afford to care for them and thus cut down on welfare. too friggin stupid to look beyond their pious noses!

Posted by armydog2 at 01:14 PM : Jan 27, 2009

You are so right, not only that it could save in the uninsured category less babies, less std''s all things that could save money in the health system. You are so right about republicans, mention birth and they go crazy.They do not get it they just need to go home.; Reply to this comment


by armydog2 January 27, 2009 4:14 PM EST: Well if the republicans would get their heads out of the ultra christian right butt holes they would see that providing family planning and contraceptives might just drastically reduce abortions and children born into families who cannot afford to care for them and thus cut down on welfare. too friggin stupid to look beyond their pious noses!; Reply to this comment