Chipping Away at Women’s Health Care

Lisa Maatz, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations

I often marvel at the actions of the anti-choice movement; they’re creative, I’ll give ‘em that. And with the convening of the 112th Congress, they’ll have even more opportunities to make mischief. Just this week, and with a straight face, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., introduced a proposal (H.R. 3) aimed at “ending all federal funding for abortion services” – as if there were not already a ban on such funding.

Newly-minted House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, immediately jumped on the bandwagon, saying the Smith measure would fulfill a plank in the GOP’s Pledge to America. In a particularly insensitive move, the bill won’t even allow for abortion coverage to many women who are victims of rape, incest, or suffering dangerous pregnancies. Smith would narrow assistance to only victims of “forcible” rape (is there any other kind?), incest victims only if they’re a minor, and women whose life – not health – is at risk if they continue their pregnancies.

Read Lisa’s full post at The Fiscal Times …