Monday, November 09, 2009

by Chief Deputy Whip, Diana DeGette, Rep. 1st District of Colorado

Pro-Choice Members Vow to Oppose Health Care Bill That Restricts A Woman's Right to Choose Any Further Than Current Law

Stupak Amendment Effectively Bans Abortion Coverage in All Plans in the Exchange, including the Public Health Insurance Options and All Private Health Insurance Plans

Will Not Vote for Conference Report that Restricts a Women’s Right to Choose Any Further than Current Law

WASHINGTON -- After the House of Representatives passed a measure restricting a woman’s right to choose early Sunday morning, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado and U.S. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, co-chairs of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, today released the text of a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi outlining objections to the intentions of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. With over 40 signatures collected so far, the letter is currently being circulated for additional signatures and will then be sent to Speaker Pelosi:
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November 7, 2009

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
H-232 Capitol
Washington, DC  20515

Dear Madam Speaker:

As Members of Congress we believe that women should have access to a full range of reproductive health care.  Health care reform must not be misused as an opportunity to restrict women’s access to reproductive health services. 
           
The Stupak-Pitts amendment to H.R. 3962, The Affordable Healthcare for America Act, represents an unprecedented and unacceptable restriction on women’s ability to access the full range of reproductive health services to which they are lawfully entitled.  We will not vote for a conference report that contains language that restricts women’s right to choose any further than current law. 

Sincerely,
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The underlying health care bill, H.R. 3962, already includes compromise language, the Capps Amendment, that applies the Hyde amendment so that it has the same effect as it currently does in Medicaid.   The health insurance Exchange is not comparable to Medicaid.  This is fundamentally a private health care system whereby individuals will be purchasing plans from private insurance companies, in large part with their own money. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment dramatically changes federal policies related to abortion coverage and undermines the principle of abortion neutrality in health care reform.

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