Care2: House Passes H.R. 3, Reproductive and Women’s Groups Respond
By Robin Marty
“All House Republicans and 16 Democrats voted to pass H.R. 3, an alleged ‘No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions’ bill introduced by New Jersey Senator Chris Smith.
The bill, which many called ‘Super Hyde’ as it took the rules already in place in the Hyde Amendment that forbid government funds to be used in abortions except in the case of rape, incest or health of the mother, then ups the definition of ‘government funds’ to include any possible funding in the new health insurance exchanges that will be open due to health care reform, effectively banning abortion coverage by all participating insurers.
Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, stated, ‘True to form, the House majority has cast a wide net in its attack on women’s health and rights — this time, trying to use the tax code to eradicate all insurance coverage for abortion. This move is the height of hypocrisy, because politicians who regularly rail against big government today voted to raise taxes on millions of families and small businesses — merely to stop them from purchasing insurance plans that cover abortion.’ H.R. 3 will now face an uphill battle in the senate, where it is likely to fail. Should it pass, President Obama’s team has already stated he is likely to veto the bill.”
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