DeGette, Pro-Choice Caucus Leadership Warns Public: Republican Crusade Against Women’s Health Marches on in Washington
January 8, 2014
House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing Thursday on Anti-Choice LegislationRep. Ryan To Fight For Refusal Clause in Omnibus BillWASHINGTON – This past week, national news outlets reported on a Guttmacher Institute analysis revealing an unprecedented level of anti-choice legislation enacted at the state level since the Republican wave election of 2010. Between 2011 and 2013, 205 anti-choice measures have been enacted by state legislatures. By comparison, that three-year tally outpaced the total number of anti-choice measures passed in the prior ten years: 189.Now, anti-choice political forces are preparing for a banner year in Washington, where a radical GOP Congress and a conservative majority on the Supreme Court are issuing severe threats to women's health. "Here we go again. Republicans appear intent on continuing their extreme anti-choice agenda," said Rep. DeGette. "Instead of constantly trying to interfere with a woman's personal medical decisions, Republicans should be focusing their efforts – and our precious time – on issues that will get Americans back to work and strengthen our economy." "After waging an all-out assault on women's health in state capitols across the country, Washington Republicans are again planning to force their anti-choice views on American women at the federal level," Rep. Slaughter said. "Americans want to see Congress create jobs and fix our crumbling infrastructure, not launch more anti-woman crusades."Legislatively, Republicans in the House will act on Speaker Boehner's previous announcement that restricting women's health is "one of our most fundamental goals." This week, the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights – a committee made up of 13 men chaired by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) who caused an uproar in 2013 when he said that "the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low" – will hold a hearing on a bill called the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act." A previous version of this legislation made headlines in 2011 for trying to change the definition of rape. Next week, the House will consider an omnibus funding bill, and Rep. Paul Ryan, Chairman of the Budget committee, said that he would fight to add a refusal clause, also known as a conscience clause, to the bill, which could allow employers and insurers to opt out of preventative care for women based solely on the personal beliefs of the employer.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has accepted challenges to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate. Last week, Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a temporary stay on the mandate due to a challenge from a religious group. This is despite the fact that this group would not be required to provide access to contraception under the mandate, leading some news outlets to speculate that the challenge is being propped up by anti-choice forces as a public relations move. Later this year, the court is expected to entertain a full-blown challenge to the mandate by a for-profit corporation. Tellingly, this company used to offer its employees an insurance plan that covered the exact same birth control methods it now claims is a violation of religious freedom. Perhaps most frightening is the amount of money being poured into the conservative push to achieve their political agenda. This week, the Washington Post pulled back the curtain on a $400 million network of political spending organized by conservative activists Charles and David Koch. Last November, RH Reality Check exposed a similar ring of anti-choice political spending headed by the Koch brothers, totaling over $115 million since 2011.###
WASHINGTON – This past week, national news outlets reported on a Guttmacher Institute analysis revealing an unprecedented level of anti-choice legislation enacted at the state level since the Republican wave election of 2010. Between 2011 and 2013, 205 anti-choice measures have been enacted by state legislatures. By comparison, that three-year tally outpaced the total number of anti-choice measures passed in the prior ten years: 189.
Now, anti-choice political forces are preparing for a banner year in Washington, where a radical GOP Congress and a conservative majority on the Supreme Court are issuing severe threats to women's health.
"Here we go again. Republicans appear intent on continuing their extreme anti-choice agenda," said Rep. DeGette. "Instead of constantly trying to interfere with a woman's personal medical decisions, Republicans should be focusing their efforts – and our precious time – on issues that will get Americans back to work and strengthen our economy."
"After waging an all-out assault on women's health in state capitols across the country, Washington Republicans are again planning to force their anti-choice views on American women at the federal level," Rep. Slaughter said. "Americans want to see Congress create jobs and fix our crumbling infrastructure, not launch more anti-woman crusades."
Legislatively, Republicans in the House will act on Speaker Boehner's previous announcement that restricting women's health is "one of our most fundamental goals." This week, the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights – a committee made up of 13 men chaired by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) who caused an uproar in 2013 when he said that "the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low" – will hold a hearing on a bill called the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act." A previous version of this legislation made headlines in 2011 for trying to change the definition of rape. Next week, the House will consider an omnibus funding bill, and Rep. Paul Ryan, Chairman of the Budget committee, said that he would fight to add a refusal clause, also known as a conscience clause, to the bill, which could allow employers and insurers to opt out of preventative care for women based solely on the personal beliefs of the employer.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has accepted challenges to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate. Last week, Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a temporary stay on the mandate due to a challenge from a religious group. This is despite the fact that this group would not be required to provide access to contraception under the mandate, leading some news outlets to speculate that the challenge is being propped up by anti-choice forces as a public relations move. Later this year, the court is expected to entertain a full-blown challenge to the mandate by a for-profit corporation. Tellingly, this company used to offer its employees an insurance plan that covered the exact same birth control methods it now claims is a violation of religious freedom.
Perhaps most frightening is the amount of money being poured into the conservative push to achieve their political agenda. This week, the Washington Post pulled back the curtain on a $400 million network of political spending organized by conservative activists Charles and David Koch. Last November, RH Reality Check exposed a similar ring of anti-choice political spending headed by the Koch brothers, totaling over $115 million since 2011.
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