The House on Thursday passed legislation along partisan lines that would block abortion coverage from plans offered by the federal government’s healthcare.gov, one day after Republican leaders pulled a stricter anti-abortion measure from the floor.
Republicans initially had planned to hold a vote on a measure that called for banning abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, the same day as the annual March for Life attended by thousands of anti-abortion activists. But leadership pulled it after a number of female Republican lawmakers incited a last-minute revolt against one part of the measure.
The “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which passed 242-179, was identical to a bill that cleared the Republican-run House last year but died in the then-Democratic controlled Senate. Only three Democrats supported the measure, with Rep. Richard Hanna of Indiana the lone Republican to reject it.
The measure, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., would make it illegal for individuals to use the Affordable Care Act’s insurance subsidies to buy plans that cover abortion services through the new health exchanges. Many states have already passed legislation limiting abortion coverage in exchange plans, but the measure the House approved would apply nationwide and possibly discourage insurers on the exchanges from offering abortion coverage at all.
Democrats characterized the legislation as a Republican “assault on women’s health” and one that unfairly places limits on healthcare access to women, particularly the poor who rely on Obamacare.
Democrats also complained about the bill’s late introduction and that it did not go through the normal committee process.
“I ask my colleagues across the aisle to offer legislation that reflects the priorities of American families instead of debating a bill that the Republican leadership just threw on the calendar at the last minute because their original abortion bill was too extreme even for them,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
But Republicans said the measure reflects the majority of Americans’ opposition to taxpayer-funded abortions.
“All human life is worth protecting,” said Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind. “For years now, pro-life Americans have been forced to watch as their tax dollars subsidized abortion procedures they’re morally opposed to.”
The White House, which has threatened to veto the bill, denies Republican claims that taxpayer money is used to fund abortions, saying that private insurance companies — not the federal government — pay for abortions under Obamacare.
“Longstanding federal policy prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered,” the White House said Thursday. “The administration strongly opposes legislation that unnecessarily restricts women’s reproductive freedoms and consumers’ private insurance options.”
The GOP leadership’s 11th hour decision to pull the 20-week abortion ban bill didn’t sit well with some conservatives and anti-abortion groups, who have united around the 20-week ban and touted it as a reasonable limit to abortion that could be supported by a wide swath of Americans.
That measure would restrict a woman from getting an abortion past the midway point of pregnancy. Known as the “pain-capable” act, it’s based on the idea that a fetus can feel pain beyond that point. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., is the lead sponsor in the Senate and Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., leads the House version.
Earlier this month the bill appeared to be on a smooth path toward passage. But last week Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., objected to a part of the bill that exempts rape survivors from the ban but requires they report the crime to law enforcement before they can get an abortion. She withdrew her sponsorship from the bill Wednesday — although she said she would still vote for it — and rallied other GOP women to do the same.
A joint statement by three anti-abortion groups said that they will continue to work with House and Senate Republican leaders to ensure a vote on the 20-week abortion takes place soon.
“While we are disappointed that the House will not be voting on the [20-week abortion ban] today, we are pleased that the House is moving forward to stop taxpayer funding of abortion,” said the Susan B. Anthony List, the March for Life Education and Defense Fund and the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee.
