Guest Author - Candance Gordon

In case you didn’t know it, right now, as we speak, congress is in D.C. drafting some healthcare reform legislation. Of course, as is often the case in Washington, things aren’t really progressing all that fast and, as is also often the case, the issue of abortion is the sticking point. Specifically, whether or not government-subsidized health care programs should cover abortion procedures.

Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has outlawed the use of federal Medicaid funds to pay for abortion, and all but 17 states have passed similar restrictions on state funds. The legislation that is currently in the works makes U.S. residents with incomes at 400% of the poverty level eligible for government subsidies to help with the purchase of healthcare coverage. Anti-choice lawmakers want a provision added that would not allow women to use the subsidy to buy insurance that covers the cost of an abortion, which would also mean they would have to give up that benefit if they happen to be insured by one of the private insurers that cover abortion (and odds are pretty good they are since about 90% of private insurance plans do).

Surprisingly, it’s not just Republicans that are pushing for the anti-choice provision in the health care legislation. June 25th, 19 conservative house democrats sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) informing her that they would not sign off on any legislation that covered abortion. In the letter the conservative democrats wrote, “We believe in a culture that supports and respects the right to life and is dedicated to the preservation of families. Therefore, we cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan”. Two members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is one of the three panels that has jurisdiction over health care reform, are among the 19 signers.

Remember back when I started as editor of this page and I said it’s great that we have a pro-choice president, but that doesn’t guarantee the safety of our reproductive rights? This is a prime example of what can go horribly wrong, even when the president is on our side. With the state of our current health care system, this might turn out to be a lose-lose for women if health care reform can’t be passed if abortion is protected.

Websites like NARAL Pro-Choice America and the National Women’s Law Center have links where you can write your congressional representative and tell them it’s not okay to limit your reproductive health coverage. I think it’s time we get writing.