Reproductive Rights: The War on Women's Health

Just when we should be moving forward to make health care more available, a new anti-choice majority in the House of Representatives aims to restrict women's health care even further!

Here are the ugly facts and what you need to know to fight back:

H.R.3 "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act"

H.R.3, which now has more than 180 sponsors, seeks to limit abortion coverage to women and make the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortion through Medicaid, a permanent law. (Under current law, the Hyde Amendment must be codified each year.)

The original language of the bill redefined rape, so as to deny assistance to victims of statutory rape or incest. (Current law provides exemptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the woman.) After much unfavorable reaction, sponsors announced they have dropped the "forcible rape" requirement; but some versions of the bill still include it.

H.R.3 would bar federal financing of abortions in cases where women were at risk of serious damage from a continued pregnancy. It would permanently bar access to abortions for military women in safe, U.S. military hospitals; and deny the District of Columbia the right to make its own decisions about including abortion services in its Medicaid program.

The health care reform bill passed by Congress last year already includes a complicated system to separate individual payments for reproductive health care. H.R.3 goes further, denying tax credits for small businesses whose plans that would include full services; and denying use of private, tax-preferred medical savings account funds for abortion services.

H.R.3 is a huge step backwards, denying access to full reproductive care for thousands of women who may be at medical risk, and women who may be using their own private funds!

H.R.358 "Protect Life Act"

"They want to 'protect life' so much that they have written into the bill a new amendment that would override the requirement that emergency room doctors save every patient, regardless of status or ability to pay," says Jodie Jacobsen of RH Reality Check. "The law would carve out an exception for pregnant women; doctors and hospitals will be allowed to let pregnant women die if interventions to save them will kill the fetus."

H.R.358 would also prevent millions of women from purchasing private insurance coverage for abortion. It would eliminate abortion coverage for even the most vulnerable women, including those who need an abortion due to a serious health risk or a fetal anomaly.

H.R.217 and other attempts to defund family planning

H.R.217 would deny Title X family planning funds to "any entity that performs abortions" – in other words Planned Parenthood – even though Planned Parenthood provides family planning, mammograms, HIV testing and other health care services to millions of women. Now the House Appropriations Committee has gone further, trying to cut out all funding for family planning, shutting out Planned Parenthood and other clinics that are the basic source of health care for women across the country.

Click here to see the Planned Parenthood response.

So the anti-choice Congress, which wants to make abortion illegal, is also trying to make contraception less available!

SPEAK UP - SPEAK OUT - FIGHT BACK

USE THIS INFORMATION TO TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS - WRITE YOUR LOCAL NESPAPERS - AND WRITE YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS!

Dear [Decision Maker],

I am writing to urge you to oppose the bill introduced by Representative Chris Smith (H.R. 3) and the bill introduced by Representative Joe Pitts (H.R. 358). Both of these bills would endanger women's health.

H.R.3 imposes a crippling tax increase on millions of people who want to keep their comprehensive insurance plans that include coverage of abortion and aims to force insurance plans to stop offering abortion coverage. If they succeed, it will reduce the coverage of health care that women currently have. The bill would also make permanent dangerous restrictions on abortion coverage for women who depend on the government for their health care.

H.R.358 exempts hospitals from treating women in need of emergency abortion care, even if they will die without it. It would prevent millions of women from purchasing private insurance coverage for abortion. It would eliminate abortion coverage for even the most vulnerable women, including those who need an abortion due to a serious health risk or a fetal anomaly.

H.R.217 attempts to defund family planning, provided by Planned Parenthood and other health care clinics across the country, would severely impact women's health. Reducing access to contraception will increase the number of unplanned pregnancies, while shutting clinics that now provide basic health care services for millions!

At a time when Congress has so many difficult decisions to make about growing our nation's economy, it is truly disappointing to see this emphasis on restricting women's health and rolling back our right to choose. I hope you will oppose these dangerous bills.