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Who Cares if Abortion Is Legal?
Will it matter if abortion is legal in name, if women are unable to access it in reality? Republican leaders in Congress are hoping it won't. Their strategy is clear: gut funding for family planning and health insurance coverage for abortions, even in private plans. House Speaker John Boehner is calling these efforts "top legislative priorities." There is no question that passing this agenda will put the lives of women and girls on the line.
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Anti-Choice Priority #1: Eliminating Insurance Coverage for Abortion
The bill: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion (H.R. 3), Introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
What the bill will do:
Establish a federal ban of abortion insurance coverage on the new health exchanges.
Eliminate tax subsidies under the new health care law for individuals OR employers that purchase health insurance plans that cover abortion.
Permanently restrict abortion access for women in the military, federal prisons, and at the Indian Health Service by codifying a full ban on abortion in all health facilities operated by the federal government.
Further restrict the Hyde amendment by limiting exceptions to if a woman is "in danger of death," the victim of a forcible rape (not statutory rape) and incest of a minor (not 18 or over). There are no exceptions for a woman's health - no matter how severe.
Reality Check: Federal funding for abortion has been banned since the 1976 passage of the Hyde amendment. Obama also signed an executive order last year clarifying that the health care reform law will not allow federal funding for abortion.
This bill is not a reiteration of bans already in place but an extreme and wholesale attempt to dramatically reduce abortion access.
Learn More
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Stop the Ban
1. Contact your Representative today. Tell them WHY you care about protecting women's abortion access, which is LEGAL under U.S. law. Ask them to reject H.R. 3.
2. Flood Speaker Boehner and Representative Smith's offices with comments.
3. Forward this message to your friends.
What you can say:
Please reject the NO Taxpayer Funding for Abortion bill (H.R. 3). Our laws already prevent any federal dollars from funding abortion. This bill goes too far and will enforce extreme restrictions on a LEGAL medical procedure that is critical for women, by unfairly taxing insurance plans, eliminating abortion insurance coverage under the new health care reform law, and codifying blanket restrictions that go beyond Roe. Passing this bill will put the lives of countless women and girls at risk. Please show that you care about life, by protecting choice and protecting the lives of women and girls.
Send the link: Here's one example of what really happens when abortion is restricted.
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Anti-Choice Priority #2: Bring the Global Gag Rule Home & De-fund Family Planning
The bill: Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 217), Introduced by Rep. Mike Pence R-IN
What the bill will do: This bill will ban Title X dollars from any health clinic or entity that performs abortions, even though this funding is already banned from going toward abortions.
Reality Check: This bill brings the global gag rule home to the U.S., and it will threaten access to health care and prevention services for low-income women. It will decimate major funding for thousands of health clinics across the country - including Planned Parenthood - that provide critical reproductive health services such as access to contraception, treatment of STI's, and cancer screening. For many women, these types of clinics provide their only health care.
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Future of Reproductive Rights Is At Stake: TAKE ACTION TODAY!
We are facing the most anti-choice Congress in years. Anti-choice lawmakers are a majority in the House, and only 40 Senators are 100% pro-choice. Get the numbers.
Furthermore, the state houses have been packed with anti-choice leaders, filling the pipeline for a more conservative future. The leader of Ohio Right to Life said recently, "This is the best climate for passing pro-life laws in years." Get the article
What you can do:
Get involved with NOW-NYC, write to your reps today, and support our work to continue the fight! Forward to your friends, here in NYC and across the country. Help us mobilize!
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