The Twisted Way Reproductive Rights Brought Down Staunch Pro-Lifer John Boehner
In the end, John Boehner — a conservative’s conservative — wasn’t conservative enough for the far right in his party when it came to women’s reproductive rights. (Photo: Getty Images)
This morning, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) shocked colleagues in Congress and pundits alike when he announced his resignation from both the Speakership and Congress effective at the end of October.
But when Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced this news at the Values Voters Summit for evangelical, ultra-right wing voters, it was met with cheers and a standing ovation.
This is the story of how John Boehner, a devout Catholic and staunchly anti-abortion politician, was decided to be too liberal by his own party — and how that led to his demise.
On Thursday, the Senate blocked the House measure passed last week to approve a budget for the upcoming federal fiscal year, which begins October 1, on the contingency that it eliminate any federal funding of Planned Parenthood for one year. Also blocked in the Senate this week was the House-approved bill that would have implemented a federal 20-week abortion ban with incredibly limited exceptions.
With the Republican-held Senate failing to wrangle the necessary Democratic and Independent votes to pass the two measures and with only six days until a potential government shutdown, Republican leadership is now forced to reckon with the reality that they must bring to the floor a budget that’s free of divisive amendments such as that to defund Planned Parenthood — or implement a shutdown. The latter possibility is not only deeply unpopular with voters, but would cause significant harm to the American economy.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (L) is kissed by Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) as he is handed the speaker’s gavel during the first session of the 114th Congress in the House Chambers January 6, 2015. (Photo: Getty Images)
And so Boehner, a conservative’s conservative with a staunch anti-abortion record, ultimately decided to leave the game, it seems, rather than continue to lead a party that insisted he was not conservative enough to force President Obama into a shutdown situation by vetoing a budget that necessitated the defunding of Planned Parenthood.
Last week, Michael Gonidakis, the head of the Ohio chapter of Right to Life and a long-time associate of Boehner’s, told the New York Times, “I think standing up to Planned Parenthood will solidify his leadership. I am hoping that enough of his members convince him to do that.”
Watch Yahoo News Global Anchor Katie Couric speak with experts about Boehner’s resignation. (Video: Yahoo News)
And speaking with Yahoo News’ Katie Couric today, Robert Costa, National Political Reporter at The Washington Post, noted that Boehner has lots of enemies and opposition in Congress — many of whom were possibly planning a coup to oust the speaker because of his reluctance to take a more partisan stance over the budget and Planned Parenthood. He speculates that by retiring now, he could avert a shutdown and keep the government running.
“He’s falling on his sword,” Costa said, explaining that in resigning, Boehner forces a narrative shift in the House from a shutdown tied to Planned Parenthood to the leadership and ascension plan following his resignation.
In a press conference this afternoon, Boehner told press that he saw his job as being “to protect the institution” and he feared that staying in his position, and in Congress, “will do more harm to the institution.” He said he reached his decision regarding his resignation this morning after he got up and said his daily prayers, and then realized that “today’s the day I am going to do this.”
Boehner was openly crying during the Pope’s speech to Congress on Thursday. (Photo: CNN)
He also mentioned a private moment he shared with the Pope on Thursday, in which the two men spoke of their respective commitments to their work and reasons for it, during which time Boehner shared that the Pope put his arm around him and said, “Please pray for me.”
In a statement, Michael A. Needham, CEO of the Heritage Action Fund, a right-wing advocacy and lobbying group, announced Boehner’s ouster as a boon for true conservatives, saying, “Americans deserve a Congress that fights for opportunity for all and favoritism to none. Too often, Speaker Boehner has stood in the way. Today’s announcement is a sign that the voice of the American people is breaking through in Washington. Now is the time for a principled, conservative leader to emerge. Heritage Action will continue fighting for conservative policy solutions and we look forward to working with the new leadership team.”
Meanwhile, pointing to the same sentiment from the opposite ideology, Planned Parenthood Action Fund Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens said in a statement, “It looks like leadership in the House may go from bad to worse. While John Boehner was never a champion of women’s health in this country, even he recognized that defunding Planned Parenthood wasn’t what the American people wanted. The extreme flank of this Congress has become so obsessed with ending women’s access to basic health care that they’ll pursue it at all costs — no matter how many Americans disagree, and how many women they hurt as a result.”
A House staffer who wished to remain anonymous tells Yahoo Health that the House members championing the defunding of Planned Parenthood — that is, those whose behavior yielded Boehner’s resignation — know they will be unable to see their anti-abortion legislative agenda happen, and don’t care. For these Republicans, the anti-Planned Parenthood and anti-abortion rhetoric is nothing more than a fundraising tool to see the party through the 2016 election cycle. That is, the more the GOP claims to be doing everything it can to limit women’s healthcare, from contraception and abortion care, the more dollars will come rolling in from donors, filling the coffers of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, the candidates’ PACs, and the free-wheeling super PACs, as well.
Boehner’s resistance to favoring approving a budget that keeps the government up and running, but continues to provide federal funding for Planned Parenthood, is thus in direct opposition to the party’s own interest, both financially and, ultimately, in terms of success in the 2016 cycle.
How will This Affect the Looming Government Shutdown?
Looking ahead, on Monday, the House is set to vote on a bill that would disqualify Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider; it is expected to pass the House, but ultimately fail in the Senate.
With the House on record with their wish to defund Planned Parenthood, and Boehner leaving next month, those on the Hill anticipate that the “clean” continuing resolution (CR) introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) yesterday following the failed CR tied to the defunding of Planned Parenthood will pass, funding the federal government through mid-December. While it will still remain a challenge for Boehner to wrangle the necessary votes to pass the CR in the House, it should be possible following his resignation — and the absence of any necessity to continue to appease Republican colleagues to ensure future deal-making under his leadership.
A House staffer tells Yahoo Health that colleagues on the Hill do, however, expect a shutdown to take place once the temporary funding measure expires in December, with the new, potentially even more conservative Republican leadership that could replace Boehner refusing any budget that continues to provide federal dollars for Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid and Title X services.
What Will Life After Boehner Look Like for Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights?
When it comes to healthcare in the months following Boehner’s resignation, several pieces of legislation regarding Medicare are anticipated — as, surely, are countless bills pertaining to women’s healthcare, family planning, and abortion rights.
One Washington insider tells Yahoo Health that for a sense of coming issues to be taken up by the House regarding women’s health following Boehner’s resignation from Congress, one has only to look at the extreme measures being passed at the state-level.
For example, Ohio Governor and presidential candidate John Kasich is set to sign into state law a bill that would make abortion illegal following a positive test for Down syndrome.
In 2015 alone, over fifty measures have been implemented in various states to restrict or ban abortion access. West Virginia and Wisconsin have enacted 20-week abortion bans with limited exceptions, making for a total of thirteen states that now have laws mandating 20-week bans.
Kansas and Oklahoma, meanwhile, have passed laws to ban the most commonly used abortion method for use anytime after the first trimester, dilation and evacuation (D&E). Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana and Tennessee have also all passed measures to impose severe restrictions on abortion providers and facilities at which abortions are performed.
