Current Health Care Bill
Elected officials propose many bills related to healthcare, discussing various issues, and pressing problems. One of the most heated debates is the issue of abortion, which often reveals the polarized opinions of the elected officials. For example, one can see that a bill about defunding Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization concerned with sexual health care, receives more attention from the public than any other legislation (GovTrack, 2017a). Thus, it is possible to assume that an elected official of any point of view can say much about the fate of this bill. While some officials may openly oppose that bill, others can voice their support. Currently, the proposal has 143 cosponsors. This particular issue is discussed by the Subcommittee on Health, which is a part of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. One of the individuals that represent the state of Florida in this group is Kathy Castor.
Legislator’s Background
Kathy Castor is a representative of one of the Congressional districts in the state of Florida. Castor is a member of the Democratic Party, who has been serving since 2013 (GovTrack, 2017b). Prior to that time, she was a representative of another district of Florida. The representative is mostly concerned with the issues of her local area – Tampa Bay. However, she does not negate the state of bills that affect the whole country. Her background shows that Castor served as a County Commissioner, where she often opposed the notions that were supported by the majority of votes. Her time as a County Commissioner earned her an award as “the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Woman of the Year” (Representative Kathy Castor, 2017). Moreover, her political career can be explained by her lineage, as Castor’s parents both worked in the government.
Legislator’s Current Political Involvement
According to the official page of this government official, Castor is currently serving her sixth term in the US Congress (Representative Kathy Castor, 2017). Moreover, Castor is a member of a number of subcommittees of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (GovTrack, 2017b). First of all, she is a part of the Subcommittee on Energy, which proposes and discusses bills on the topics of energy sources, electricity, nuclear waste, and environmental conservation. Second, Castor is a member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which conducts investigations and monitors agencies and programs relevant to the investigation. Finally, Castor participates in the activities of the Subcommittee on Health, which discusses health care bills and surrounding issues.
Legislator’s Current Policy Agenda
Castor’s interests include education, energy, and healthcare. Furthermore, she often sponsors bills connected with the spheres of environmental protection, equality, and small businesses. Castor’s interest in women’s health is also underlined on her official website, where she discusses the need to give women more freedom in their medical choices and decisions (Representative Kathy Castor, 2017). The representative is unquestionably interested in promoting bills that would grant women more abilities to protect their well-being. Moreover, Castor is a supporter of the Affordable Care Act, which is stated on her page (Representative Kathy Castor, 2017). Her beliefs in equality and freedom of choice further strengthen the woman’s interest in affordable health care.
Interview Questions and Answers
Would you support or oppose the bill about defunding Planned Parenthood? Why?
Mock answer 1: I would oppose this bill. Planned Parenthood is providing a vast range of healthcare services to men and women of the United States. The proposal to defund this organization and prohibit it from requesting any funding may significantly affect the health of many individuals who cannot access other facilities for help. Furthermore, the bill offers to deny funding to the affiliates of Planned Parenthood under some circumstances, which further damages the state of healthcare service availability.
Do you think that the description that the bill offers undermines women’s right to health care?
Mock answer 2: Yes, I believe it does. The description of the bill mentions that all organizations which agree to perform abortions or even support this process financially may be defunded. This proposition greatly restricts women’s freedom to choose establishments that may be available to them. The decision to defund many organizations will most likely affect not only women that want to have an abortion but also individuals that struggle to afford some other procedures and tests.
Why does this issue attract so much attention not only in the media but also among the members of the US Congress?
Mock answer 3: It is possible that this issue is mentioned very often as it deals with the lives of women and children and the complicated topic of birth. Moreover, the problem of people intervening with the health of others is also a subject of a heated debate. One of the acts that I supported discussed a similar issue when corporate interference affected women’s ability to receive necessary health care (Representative Kathy Castor, 2017). I believe that this problem may have much in common with that act.
Analysis
These answers are based on the fact that Castor is considered to be one of the active supporters of Planned Parenthood. In fact, the voting statistics on the bills that are connected to this organization show that the representative voted in favor of the establishment in almost every situation (Planned Parenthood Action Fund, 2017). Moreover, other incidents can be explained by the fact that Castor did not vote at all in those cases due to different reasons. Thus, one can assume that Castor would oppose the described bill. Her official website also supports this notion. The bill’s contents do not align with the political agenda of this elected official. Therefore, these mock answers may be close to the actual opinion of the representative.
References
GovTrack. (2017a). H.R. 354: Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2017. Web.
GovTrack. (2017b). Kathy Castor, representative for Florida’s 14th district. Web.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund. (2017). 2017 Congressional scorecard. Web.
Representative Kathy Castor. (2017). Bibliography. Web.