The average American debtor is a 41 year old middle class woman with children and at least some college education. Middle class women have more at stake in this fight than anybody else. Today, the stakes will get even higher.

In 2001, when the bankruptcy bill was last considered by the Senate, Senator Schumer (D-NY) successfully introduced a brilliant progressive amendment. There is a law on the books that subjects to civil damages anyone who interferes with access to reproductive health services. Radical anti-choice activists who were sued under the law quickly learned that they could declare bankruptcy in order to avoid paying damages to clinics. These are people who violently intimidate and harm health care providers and patients. If you believe in law and order, then these folks should not be able to escape their debts. The current bill gives them an escape hatch.

Senator Schumer’s amendment in 2001 prohibited these people from using bankruptcy protection to do an end run around the law. The anti-choice forces in Congress – particularly in the House – couldn’t bring themselves to vote for the amended bill, which died.

Senator Schumer is set to reintroduce his amendment today. If the Democrats maintain party discipline and win a handful of votes from moderate, pro-choice republicans, the amendment just may pass. Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) has expressed support for the amendment’s principle. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) have strong pro-choice voting records. This amendment may be the only real possibility of stopping this bill dead in its tracks.

NARAL has set up convenient action-item website so that you can contact Senators to urge them to support the Schumer amendment. Check back here throughout the day for up-to-date information on the amendment’s progress. My action item entry also features links that you can use to fax key Senators.