Eliminating Abortion or Women's Reproductive Freedom?

U.S. Democrats and local women’s health care providers are calling on Republicans to stop pursuing legislation that would create historically drastic cuts in women’s health services and reproductive freedoms—and start focusing on creating jobs to strengthen the economy.

“Since the beginning of the year the Republicans haven’t put a single bill on the floor that would create a single job,” said U.S. Congresswomen Nita Lowey (D-NY), at a press conference in White Plains Monday. “Instead, Republicans, the majority in the house, have prioritized an extremist agenda that seeks to roll back women’s reproductive rights.”

Bills H.R. 3, H.R. 358 and H.R. 217—titled “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” the "Protect Life Act,” and the "Title X Abortion Prohibition Act,”—will make it more expensive to pay for healthcare from providers who cover abortions, and will eliminate the Title X federal funding program—which funds healthcare providers who offer full reproductive services.

Democrats and women’s advocates says that the bills will allow hospitals to leave pregnant women to die; prevent abortions for rape and incest victims; and block crucial preventative care services, like  birth control and STD screenings. Republicans say the legislation will make abortion inaccessible, which will reduce the number of abortions. 

Raina Schiffrin, CEO of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, called the bills “the most devastating legislative assault on women’s health care in American history,” at the press conference.

 “It’s not just about terminating pregnancies,” said Lowey. “These women who are struggling in an economy will have no place to go for their health care.”

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and several other Democratic senators have also spoken out against the bills, and the Republican Party’s refusal to focus on issues Americans want resolved, like unemployment.

 “This agenda disregards women’s rights and restricts the ability of women to access affordable health care,” said Gillibrand in a press release.  “Clearly, the Republican House is not focusing on creating jobs or growing our economy, but making the degradation of women’s health care a top priority.”

 According to the press release, the bill would:

• No longer require states to offer abortions to poor women who were raped or were victims of incest, or need the abortion to save their own life, by redefining the definitions for rape and incest, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
• No longer require hospitals to save the life of a pregnant women, if it meant the fetus would die.
• Eliminate Title X funding, which funds places like Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions in addition to preventative services, like mammograms and other cancer screenings, birth control, HIV and STD testing and treatment, and annual check-ups.  
• Restrict women from using their own un-taxed funds or from deducting the cost to purchase health insurances that offer certain reproductive services.
• Would prevent women and families from using pre-taxed dollars (via Flexible Spending Accounts) to pay for certain health care, from providers who offer abortions.
• Small businesses would no longer receive tax credits if they choose providers who offer abortions.

“If you want to see how clearly they want to turn back the time to where women were having abortions in alleyways—you just have to look at the fact that they tired to redefine rape,” said Schiffrin of the bills. “It had to be brutal, we had to be lying in the streets and be kicked and bleeding, and whatever—forget about incest, forget about date rapes.”

Though federal law prohibits taxpayer money from directly fund abortions, federal funds can offer aid to providers who offer a range of health care services, including abortion.

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) said the bill he sponsored, H.R.3,  “is designed to permanently end any U.S. government financial support for abortion, whether it be direct funding or by tax credits or any other subsidy.”

Smith says the abortion industry is a “multimillion dollar business,” and that Planned Parenthood raked in $1 billion in fees, local, state and federal subsidies, while killing 324,000 babies in 2008.

“The ugly truth is that women are victimized by abortion—wounded and hurt physically and emotionally,” said Smith, on Jan. 20. “Women deserve better than abortion.”

Smith says that studies show that women who get abortions are at higher risk for suicide and depression.  

“As many of you know, the evidence suggests that when public funding is available, the number of abortions drop dramatically, by about 25 percent,” said Smith in a Jan. 24 press release.

 Those on both sides of the debate encourage the public to reach out to their congressmen and women on this topic. Click here to find out how to contact your representatives, and click on our video to see Monday's press conference in its entirety.