Congressman Darin LaHood argued to end taxpayer funding of abortion
WASHINGTON, D.C.— A measure that would end taxpayer funding of abortion passed the U.S. House Tuesday afternoon with a 238 to 183 vote. All of Illinois' delegation voted along party lines, except Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3), one of three Democrats that supported the bill.
Six members of the Illinois delegation – five Republicans and one Democrat – signed onto H.R. 7, the "No Taxpayer for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017," as co-sponsors: Democrat Dan Lipinski and Republicans Rodney Davis, Randy Hultgren, Mike Bost, Peter Roskam and Darin LaHood.
On the House Floor, Rep. LaHood said, “57 million innocent lives have been lost to abortion since 1973. Even more disheartening, taxpayer dollars are currently funding them, despite the fact that polls show that 60% of Americans believe that abortions should not be directly paid for with these dollars. I am proud to cosponsor and vote for this measure to permanently prevent taxpayer dollars from being spent on aborting unborn children. It’s time to make this life-saving amendment permanent and government-wide. If signed by the President, this measure would do just that.” LaHood's full comments can be reviewed HERE.
Congressman Randy Hultgren also shared his thoughts on the topic with House colleagues.
“Majorities of Americans—women and men alike—agree that no one should be forced to pay for someone else’s abortion. This legislation takes provisions that have had bipartisan support for decades and makes them permanent,” said Rep. Hultgren. “This week, Americans from across the country plan to march in protest of the unjust Roe v. Wade decision which has resulted in more than 55 million of unborn deaths. Defending and protecting the most vulnerable in our society means ensuring no tax dollars go to end their lives.” Hultgren's full comments can be reviewed HERE.
H.R. 7 codifies policies enacted for more than thirty years on a case-by-case basis that prohibit federal funding of abortion including health insurance subsidized by the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).
For more than three decades, various appropriations riders have been enacted to prohibit federal funding of abortion. The "Hyde amendment" was first enacted in 1976, and is generally included as part of the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Act. It prohibits both the direct use of federal funds for abortion services and federal subsidies for plans that include abortion coverage, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. H.R. 7 would make this permanent.
H.R. 7 prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion or health plans that cover abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. H.R. 7 prohibits abortions at facilities owned or operated by the federal government, and prevents federal employees from performing abortions within the scope of their employment, GovTrack explains.
H.R. 7 prohibits premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies authorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) from being granted for health plans that include elective abortion coverage. H.R. 7 also prohibits small business tax credits authorized under PPACA for health plans offered by an employer that include elective abortion coverage.
The bill now proceeds to the U.S. Senate for review and passage. PredictGov gives the bill an 11% chance of being enacted into law.
