Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via AP Images
Pro-choice protesters in front of the Supreme Court, October 4, 2021
What with all the cutbacks and strictures that Joe Manchin has demanded in return for his vote for the Build Back Better bill, you may have missed his declaration that the bill will have to include the Hyde Amendment, which forbids any Medicaid spending for abortions. As the bill may include an expansion of Medicaid in the 12 Republican-run states that have refused federal funds to cover more people under the program, the question of whether Hyde will be linked to that expansion is very much at issue.
Along with Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, Manchin is one of the two Senate Democrats who describe themselves as “pro-life.” Neither he nor Casey is as adamantly anti-choice as their Republican colleagues; at various times, Manchin has voted both to fund and defund Planned Parenthood. But quite unlike Casey, who supports the BBB bill, Manchin’s views fit the memorable description that Barney Frank once delivered of Republican viewpoints. “Sure, they’re pro-life,” Frank said. “They’re pro-life from conception to birth.”
Once babies emerge from uteri, Manchin’s concern for their well-being plummets to Republican levels. He’s opposed to continuing the Child Tax Credit, which, when fully implemented, is predicted to halve the rate of child poverty. He demands that the program be winnowed down to the point that eligibility is largely curtailed, and what remains is barely accessible. His opposition to BBB provisions that would combat the climate catastrophe condemns today’s newborns and little ones to life on a burning planet.
Manchin calls himself a good Catholic, and by the criteria preferred by the right-wingers among America’s bishops, he would continue to receive the Communion they’d like to deny to such pro-choice electeds as President Biden and Speaker Pelosi. The bishops have yet to deliver their final ruling on this Communion denial business, and it likely won’t carry the day. If it actually were to become policy, however, you’d think harming children post-birth would be viewed as seriously as truncating pregnancies.
We’ve surely not heard the last of Manchin’s demands. His penchant for paradox (fetus, yes; child, no!) may not be exhausted. Will he call for work requirements for paid family leave? Should parents of newborns have to work through their leaves? Inquiring minds want to know.
