A group of senators is rushing through a punitive bill to make the Hyde Amendment permanent. Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has blocked federal Medicaid funding for abortion services. The Senate is poised to vote in time to pander to religious antiabortionists, who will be in Washington, D.C., for their annual “March for Life” this Saturday, Jan. 19.
The bill, S. 109, “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act,” also would require Affordable Care Act health insurance plans that provide coverage for abortion to make costly and unnecessary reports on the portion of their premiums spent on abortion care.
This bill is a clear attack, expressly backed by the Catholic Church in service of a dogmatic religious agenda, upon women’s right to comprehensive reproductive care. It picks on the poorest and most vulnerable women. The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops has asked all parishioners to lobby the Senate to pass this bill, which is why we need your help! In a letter of support for both this bill and the “March for Life, the Archbishop of Kansas City encourages anti-choice activists to “celebrate God’s miraculous gift of human life from its very beginning,” revealing the religious nature of this legislative assault.
Please tell your senators not to earn cheap political points with the religious right at the expense of women’s healthcare. Tell them to VOTE NO on S. 109 when it appears before the Senate.
