Bankrupt Anti-Abortionists

Who would have thought bankruptcy would become part of the abortion debate. This article is both wierd and ironic on a number of levels. I'm not in favor of the bill, but I certainly did not think it would end up being shelved for this reason.

washingtonpost.com
Abortion Fight Might Scuttle Bankruptcy Bill


By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 13, 2002; Page A01


Long-awaited legislation to overhaul the nation's bankruptcy laws, which the credit card industry and other corporations have ardently sought, teetered toward collapse yesterday when House leaders pulled it rather than risk angering Republican abortion opponents in an election season.

A compromise crafted in July seemed to have resolved problems with the bill, and House leaders tentatively had scheduled it for a vote yesterday. But several dozen GOP members strongly objected to a provision meant to keep antiabortion activists from escaping legal judgments by declaring bankruptcy, and the leadership decided against a confrontation.

"I'm not sure we can pass it," House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said in an interview.

The standoff over the bill, which enjoys considerable bipartisan support in the House and Senate, reflects the rift between the GOP's ideological, social-agenda wing and its more pragmatic, business-oriented wing.

The bill, whose passage seemed almost certain a few weeks ago, would trigger the biggest change to bankruptcy law in a quarter-century, making it more difficult for consumers to wipe out their debt. Credit card companies say it is needed to curb abuses, but consumer advocates say it favors wealthy debtors at the expense of poorer ones.

The debate has been dominated in recent months by provisions aimed at protesters who block abortion clinics and then are hit with heavy legal judgments. Some activists have escaped the judgments by declaring bankruptcy, and the bill includes provisions designed to curb the practice.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), an abortion rights proponent, and Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), an abortion opponent, brokered a compromise in July, and many expected the bill to sail through both chambers before the August recess.

But a few dozen House Republicans remained dissatisfied, saying the deal would expose peaceful antiabortion protesters to enormous legal liability. Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R-Pa.) said the language might force "ladies who sit out on the sidewalk and pray . . . to write checks to Planned Parenthood for the rest of their lives."

Last year, 93 House Democrats voted for the bill. But House leaders, who had tentatively scheduled a vote on the matter yesterday, decided they were unwilling to risk the wrath of so many rank-and-file Republicans, especially with midterm elections less than two months away.

A senior Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the measure could pass easily if Hastert pushed it, but "then we have about 40 or 50 guys on our side who would go nuts."

House Majority Leader Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) said yesterday the bill was "indefinitely postponed." House Chief Deputy Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), however, said leaders might bring it to a vote either before the Nov. 5 election or shortly thereafter if Congress has a lame-duck session in November or December.

"We're working to try to get everyone together to find a solution to this problem," Blunt said.

Pitts said House leaders "do not want to choose between their friends, their business friends and their pro-life friends," but they made the right choice politically. "A cardinal rule in politics is: Don't go into the election having deflated your base. The ones who provide volunteers at these campaigns are pro-family folks."

But the decision infuriated the party's business allies, who have lobbied aggressively for the bill and have suffered recent setbacks since last year's terrorist attacks and the unfolding corporate scandals.

"There's a great deal of frustration among all the parties who have worked for six years on this bill, when this bill has passed muster with the Republicans, it's passed muster with the Democrats, it's passed muster with the White House," said Steve Pfister, senior vice president for government relations at the National Retail Federation. "I would challenge anybody in this town to show me another piece of legislation that has passed both houses of Congress with bipartisan, veto-proof margins, and continues to be held hostage over issues that are unrelated to the intent of the legislation."

Rep. Calvin M. Dooley (D-Calif.), one of the bill's most visible Democratic proponents, called the Republicans' move "outrageous."

"They're willing to sacrifice the bankruptcy bill so as not to put some of their most extreme pro-life Republicans in a difficult position," Dooley said. "Here we are, really one yard from the goal line, and a small group of members are holding this legislation hijacked.''