This comes to us courtesy of Paula in yesterday’s comments regarding H.R. 7 – No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017.
Planned Parenthood sums up the problem:
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R.7, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017,” a dangerous assault on women’s health. The bill is a thinly-veiled attempt to take away the comprehensive private health insurance coverage that millions of women have today and to make the Hyde amendment and other federal abortion bans permanent.
The Bustle also summarizes:
HR-7 is causing such a furor on the left side of the political spectrum because of how much it would limit women’s access to safe abortions, and it would disproportionately affect low-income women and women of color. Basically, if it were to make it through the Senate to be signed into law by Donald Trump, anyone getting their health insurance through the federal government will not be able to use their insurance to pay for an abortion. That will be true whether the insurance comes from a job in any branch of the government, private health insurance through Affordable Care Act subsidies, or Medicaid. Women will be allowed to pay for an abortion out of pocket, sure — but if you’re on Medicaid already, chances are that that’s going to be prohibitively expensive. That’s why this bill is such a huge problem.
Here’s a script provided by The 65:
I’m , a constituent who is appalled that the House passed HR.7. Women deserve to make their own medical choices and I want to protect legal access to safe abortion by voting NO on HR.7. I expect my senator to stand up for women’s reproductive rights, and will be watching closely.
As Paula mentioned Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester voted against this bill and, most likely, Senator Carper and Coons will as well. But as we’ve learned, we cannot take anything for granted anymore.
Call our Senators to vote NO on H.R. 7. Call Tom Carper at (202) 224-2441. Call Chris Coons at (202) 224-5042.