Planned Parenthood and its typical allies in Congress are having a rare standoff.
The group is opposing lawmakers’ Medicare payment deal because it includes language restricting federal dollars from being used for abortions.
But the two Democrats who lead the House Pro-Choice Caucus note that those restrictions are included in every spending bill passed by Congress. The language mirrors the federal Hyde Amendment, which says federal funds can’t be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is at stake.
“The language included in the bipartisan compromise does not further restrict women’s access to abortion, and the provisions expire along with funding — just as the current Hyde Amendment does,” says a statement released by Reps. Louise Slaughter of New York and Diana DeGette of Colorado.
Slaughter and DeGette said they’ll vote for the payment deal and urged their colleagues to do the same.
The bipartisan legislation would permanently repeal a long-flawed Medicare payment formula, known as the sustainable growth rate formula. For years, it’s led to potentially deep payment cuts for doctors, requiring Congress to annually circumvent the cuts with what’s known as a “doc fix.”
The House plans to vote on the bill on Thursday and, if it passes, send it over to the Senate, although passage is less certain in that chamber.
Despite the bipartisan support, there’s opposition from some on both the right and the left — including from Planned Parenthood. The group asked members Tuesday to remove the abortion restrictions from the package, saying it “strongly opposes” the bill as it’s currently written.
“At Planned Parenthood, we know firsthand that this bill would hurt low-income women’s health,” said Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards. “We know there are many times that a doctor recommends a woman have an abortion for serious health reasons, and this proposal would permanently block some women from getting the healthcare their doctors say they need.”
The bill’s Hyde Amendment language was modified on Monday to placate House Democrats. The new versions clarifies that the language applies for only two years, which is also when the legislation’s funding for community health centers runs out.
The controversy comes after another abortion-related holdup last week, when Senate Democrats — prompted by abortion rights groups — objected to similar language in an anti-human trafficking bill.
This story originally published at 12:23 p.m. and has been updated since then.
