On the stump Obama promised to rid America of the fusty Hyde Amendment; in office Obama has ditched women, yet again. Hyde remains strong and healthy in the Obama administration.

The Hyde Amendment dates back to 1976; it prohibits federal funds (read Medicaid) from being used to pay for poor women to obtain adequate reproductive medical care (yes the “A” word is the medical care suppressed.)

Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, responding to the abortion funding restrictions maintained in the Obama budget said this:

“For millions of women, federal programs are their only means of getting healthcare. Abortion is the only medically necessary health service excluded from Medicaid coverage. Failure to provide that servicea service that only women needis discrimination.”
and this:
"The Center for Reproductive Rights is deeply disappointed with President Obama's failure to strike government funding restrictions on abortion, particularly the Hyde Amendment, from his proposed budget for 2010.

Please do note the very important word choice above—maintained. Mr. Hope and Change has done nothing much in terms of Real change for women. He has followed the previously walked paths of overturning the Global Gag Rule, but refused to take up the Freedom of Choice Act. He threw a sop to women by including reproductive care in his spending/stimulus bill, but quickly tossed that out before the stimulus bathwater even turned tepid. Mr. Obama has booted out abstinence only funding, but big woooptedo. That was out the second we had DC regime change last November.

Obama put a pro-force man at the helm of the DNC and that man, Tim Kaine, promptly signed a bill to fund clinics that demean women and their agency over their own bodies. The major women’s organizations have been silent on Obama's Tim Kaine take-back-the-South-by-mortgaging-women’s-wombs strategy. This sucks. Big time.

What about Obama’s broken promise to toss out Hyde?
What have the “feminist” organizations had to say about the fact that Obama budget keeps Hyde intact? Well Feminist Majority/Ms magazine is Silent, not a peep on their web site about this oversight! The National Organization of Beggers, aka NOW has opted to ignore this Obama broken pledge as well. Not a peep on their web site. NARAL? Nada.
( Both NARAL and NOW are busy begging Obama for a female Supreme Court Justice. What a friggn’ joke that is…like asking the man what is your favorite color and you can cross the bridge. Obama can NO WAY not pick a woman for Souter’s seat and everyone knows it. It’s like giving Obama a what is 1 +1 question for his advanced trigonometry test…no way can he Fail them on this. Of course, then...the “feminists” of these sites will all crow about Obama the national hero. It is utterly odd, really….this male hero worship so-called feminists have for Obama. It is as if they are protecting their kid brother from the evil reality of reality.)

For more on Obama on repro choice:
I came across this gem from HuffPo, written during the heat of the primaries last year.
This silly HuffPo writer, Frances Kissling of Catholics for Choice) posted that “Obama is the Best Candidate for Choice”
Here is what Kissling had to say:

“Of course, Obama enters the arena with a shorter record and on some of the more controversial reproductive health issues, we don't know what he would do or how he would use his office to advocate for women's reproductive rights.”
more
“…there are a number of areas where Senator Clinton is more likely to disappoint us and I am surprised at the short memory of my friends and colleagues who are supporting Senator Clinton. While allowing for a change of heart, we need to remember those failures.
While Burk and others noted in their letter of support Senator Clinton's leadership on Medicaid family planning funding, they studiously ignored the question of whether the Senator has led efforts to restore Medicaid funding for abortions. She has not. “

Of course, in her Blind Triple Happiness over Obama Kissling decided to ignore Obama’s viseral opportunism and willingness to overthrow women for his own sake. Oh so where is Missy Kissling now? Yes, probably plotting Obama's re-election. Blind devotion is so helpful when faced with facts and the threat down of a woman in power.

Newsflash women: Obama has not done anything more than what is REQUIRED of a democrat towards women. And by keeping Hyde on its lofty perch he is showing exactly what he is made of…empty promises.

Let’s recall Obama words to Planned Parenthood:
“The first thing I will do is sign the FOCA,” said Obama.
And then there is this from Obama staffers during the campaign on his position on Hyde:

“Obama does not support the Hyde amendment. He believes that the federal government should not use its dollars to intrude on a poor woman's decision whether to carry to term or to terminate her pregnancy and selectively withhold benefits because she seeks to exercise her right of reproductive choice in a manner the government disfavors.”

Yet in the end, he caved or worse yet, lied!

Let’s finish out with this though from off-the-mark-by-miles Miss Kissling:

“I deeply believe {Obama} is the best hope we have to ending both the abortion wars and the war in Iraq.”

Well, Obama has given us pro-force Rick Warren, and Tim Kaine both with an eye to keeping the South mollified that women will never be free from begging for their right to privacy. And now Obama has laughed in the face of Freedom of Choice Act and thrown a birthday party for the Hyde Amendment. Yeah, I’m gonna say that FemiSex was WAY right to support Clinton. Hindsight is never as good as foresight.

http://reproductiverights.org/en/press-room/obama-budget-ignores-healthc...

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2007/12/21/sen-barack-obamas-reproduc...
http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/77289/obama_is_the_best_cand...