Abortion, and health care

Elite women, safely in the middle class, with low deductible complete health care coverage for them and their family, seem to be missing the real abortion debate we could be having around the Stupak Amendment.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, only 13% of abortion costs are actually paid for by private insurance companies. That is right, today, under our current inadequate health care system, the overwhelming majority of abortion costs are not paid for by private insurance companies. Most abortions are provided for by low cost clinics.

When we are debating the urgent needs of women, men and children throughout our nation and we hear this new bill, with the passage of the Stupak Amendment, will not cover abortion costs for women who purchase their insurance through an insurance exchange or through a public option, let's not pretend this adds up to a net negative for women today. The estimates are that this health care bill will extend health care access to 96% of all Americans. If these measures actually work as is hoped for, women of child bearing age will have greater access to health care and therefore access to greater control of their reproductive systems. We could even have more money in our pockets if these changes work as promised - even accounting for the rare occasion where a woman would have to fork out $400-$500 to pay for an abortion.

Today, elite women working in major metropolitan areas with posh Cadillac insurance plans - provided by their employer - are the most likely women to have private insurance companies cover her abortion costs. Under this plan, that trend will likely continue. What will change is the fact that poor and lower middle class women will increase their access to health care and birth control.

So in summary, Stupak and anti-choice Democrats are ass hats. Their anti-choice desire to control women by any means necessary is hateful and disgraceful. But kindly quit pretending like the status quo is somehow excellent today.

Sunday Recipes With Love - A new Pumpkin Scones recipe

I made this up this morning and they are awesome so I have to commit it to writing - don't want to forget this one:

chop 1/2 cup cold butter in to cubes
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
2/3 cups brown sugar
1 15 oz can organic pumpkin from Trader Joe's

In mixer combine all of the ingredients except for the pumpkin. Mix for about a minute or until the mixture is a fine crumble. Add pumpkin and mix until smooth. Place in greased scone pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned and firm/bouncy when touched in the center.

If desired you can ice these with an icing made with 2 TBSP butter, about 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2/3 cup brown sugar, plus 2 - 3 tsp of milk.

Happy Birthday RJ

When RJ was a baby, I was very protective of her. That was my baby girl and nobody else was gonna touch her - ever! Not really, but people who knew us well then would probably tell you that was the case. RJ was very clingy as a baby. She never wanted to let me go, not even for a second. About the only time she wanted to be left alone was at nap time and bed time.

RJ was a very particular girl about everything. We had a very strict schedule for her, because if I deviated from her routine at all there would be "H" to pay! She had colic for the first few months and would scream bloody murder for hours upon hours every night. To say she was a challenge would be an understatement and an overstatement.

She was and still is my whole world. I lived to snuggle her, play with her, talk to her, and love every moment of every day that we would share together. Just when I thought I could handle no more of the screaming, she would fall asleep and snuggle up in my arms like the perfect little angel she has always been.

She was a monkey as soon as she started to crawl. Thankfully, as mentioned above, she was also clingy so she would only climb on things near me. She put everything in her mouth, including a penny she once swallowed - forcing me to check every nasty diaper until she passed it, just to be safe.

By two we knew this would be a very clever little performer, indeed. She would act out entire stories we had read to her - complete with different voices and emotions for every character. She loved to sing to us, boss us around and keep her daddy wrapped tightly around her little finger.

By three she was our drama queen extrordinaire - her bedroom door still won't shut right from all the times she has slammed that thing over the years.

Now that she is older, she is sassy, brilliant, witty and sarcastic. She's well liked by most everyone who ever meets her, and yet her self esteem is often low and we need to remind her how amazing she is.

I'm convinced that RJ is going to accomplish big things. She won't be satisfied with simply being adored by those of us lucky enough to know and love her, she's going to be famous. Much to her shock though, I don't think it will be for performing, I think her childhood dream of being a "Save The Worlder", will one day come true. This is not to say she won't entertain and delight folks on stage, I'm sure she will. She's also going to do something big to make this world a better place - I'm certain because she's already changed my world and inspired me to want to leave this place better off than I found it.

Today my baby girl turns eleven, and I celebrate eleven amazing years as mom.