A Possible Complication to RIte Care and Undocumented Immigrants
Let me float this by you.
As the law pertaining to RIte Care has read for some time, citizenship is not one of the qualifications for pregnant women to participate in the program (as well as several others, according to Rep Peter Palumbo on the Helen Glover Show this morning). Today at the General Assembly, Rep Palumbo, with the vocal assistance of Rep Joseph Trillo, attempted to close off RIte Care benefits to pregnant undocumented immigrant women on the fairly reasonable theory that such resources should be allocated to citizens or legal immigrants.
The General Assembly ultimately rejected Rep Palumbo’s amendment. So, as the law continues to stand, undocumented immigrant women, regardless of their stage of pregnancy upon application to the program – first month or ninth – qualify for such benefits on the basis that they are carrying an American citizen who is entitled to such benefits even if his or her mother is not. This is what I wanted to ask. As the fetus (deliberately chosen word) qualifies for a government program, does this not mean that life actually begins at conception? Accordingly, is the Rhode Island General Assembly not now required to outlaw abortion?
Touche Monique!
Monique,
Once again, a fitting quote for the liberals:
“Oh, what a web we weave, when we attempt to deceive”
Monique,
You make a very insightful point.
If a fetus is not a person, how come we are giving benefits to “non-persons” while at the same cutting back benefits to “people”?
History will show that our artificial attempt to define humanity through political compromise and legalistic means is flawed.
Recently, the news reported on the case of Macie Hope McCartney who was removed from her mother’s womb at 6 months for surgery. At this point, Macie “became human” under the law. Following surgery, Macie was placed back in the womb. At which point, she returned to being a non-human “fetus” that could be aborted.
Years ago, we couldn’t agree on whether slaves were “people”, so we counted them as 3/5 of a person.
Hitler viewed Slavic people as “untermenschen” and not fully human. But if a Slav child had ancestors of Aryan-Nordic descent, he or she could be brought up by a German family and at that point, could become human once again.
In ancient Rome, degrees of citizenship were conferred based on multiple factors. Slaves were non-human property that could be bought or sold. But immediately after being freed, a slave would then be considered a “person” with limited Roman citizenship rights.
For the record, I support allowing non-citizen pregnant women to receive RIte Care assistance. In my book the child is a U.S. citizen.
It’s high time that our legislators showed compassion – compassion for those who are here legally. The buck needs to stop here, at the RI border. We need to send a message to those who prey on our poorly conceived and poorly implmented social programs. In these harsh economic times, we desperately need our leaders to lead.
Monique
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
I kid, I kid. 😉 😉
I think that the only fair way to deal with this issue is that we divide up all of those in favor of providing these benefits to illegal aliens and those that do not.
We then determine the cost, and those in support are given a bill for their proportionate cost of supporting these illegal aliens.
Since these elitist, do-gooders are so concerned for the illegals, I can’t see them having a problem with this simple solution.
A child born in the United States is a U.S. citizen and should be treated as such regardless of whether his or her parents are citizens.
I support the General Assembly’s move not because I think the benefit should be given to an “illegal immigrant” but because I think the “fetus” should be treated a U.S. citizen.
Upon the child’s birth, he or she will possess more “legal” (as opposed to inalienable) rights as a U.S. citizen than a legal immigrant residing in the U.S. He or she should be treated as a separate individual, just as any other U.S. citizen.
The real solution to the problem lies not in stripping the benefit from a U.S. citizen child, but in controlling illegal immigration in the first place.
You guys are missing the 800 pound gorilla in the corner: welfare fraud. Supposedly, up to 30% of RI welfare is fraudulent. I have this from an insider.
They dole out the checks with very little oversight. One reason they don’t care is that federal matching dollars will be cut if they give away less. So, they can’t give it away fast enough. There is very little documentation required to get on welfare, and even fewer verifcations and fraud controls. They conveniently offer the excuse that they don’t have the staff for it.
One popular fraud: Maria flies in from Puerto Rico, and stays with her sister in Providence. While she is here, she gets a PO box. She applies for welfare, then goes back to PR. Her benefits card gets mailed to her PO box every month, and her sister goes to the ATM and withdraws it. Every month, she takes her cut and then sends Maria’s share to Maria via Western Union. Cost to the taxpayers: many many many millions of dollars every year.
Odds are.. you have paid for someone’s wide screen TV and SUV –in Puerto Rico.
Another popular fraud: applicant gets child care so she can go to work –then abruptly quits her job without informing the state. I hear that scam is also big in Lil Rhody.
Who would have ever thought that there would be alot of fraud in programs that pay people to do nothing?
Well, well. Interesting notion, a very interesting one indeed. Contact your state senator and see how he/she would fee about proposal the change to the RIte Care and legalized abortion.
How about we solve the PREGNANT ILLEGAL ALIENS HOOTCHIE MAMAS FROM COMING HERE PREGNANT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!
How about we tell the HOOTCHIE MAMA, okay, the kid might be a US citizen but you are not. Once you deliver your child, the legal one stays here with a legal relative and no assistance after birth. The HOOTCHIE MAMA, the illegal one, gets deported but she will be given free peanuts on the flight.