Family Planning Advocates Speak out Against New Proposed Abortion Language in Senate Manager's Amendment

• by Family Planning Advocates of NYS

ALBANY, NY (12/20/2009)(readMedia)-- Family Planning Advocates (FPA) strongly opposes the new abortion language offered by Senator Ben Nelson in the manager's amendment to the Senate health care reform bill. "We understand that leaders in the Senate and the White House want to move the process forward, but given this provision, we have no choice but to oppose the Senate bill," said FPA president and CEO M. Tracey Brooks.

The Nelson language agreed to this week is essentially an abortion rider. It creates an unworkable system whereby individuals are required to write two separate premium checks each month, one for abortion care and one for everything else. There is no sound policy reason to require women to pay separately for their abortion coverage other than to try to shame them and draw attention to the abortion coverage.

"To compound the situation, it is highly unlikely that insurance companies will be willing to follow such an administratively cumbersome system, leaving tens of millions of women without abortion coverage, even in policies they pay for with their own money," Brooks stressed.

After the passage of the Stupak amendment in the House, we heard loud and clear from women across the country that they will not stand for the undermining of their rights and their access to benefits. This Nelson abortion check provision will no doubt create the same outrage, as women learn that they are being made second-class citizens when it comes to health care coverage.

Unfortunately, opponents in Congress continue to use abortion as a political wedge at every step of the health care reform process. "The President and many members of Congress believe as we do that health care reform should not be the forum to litigate abortion policy," Brooks explained.

"Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer have stood up strongly for women and against lawmakers who are trying to achieve health care reform on the backs of women. We will continue to support these Senators as they work with their colleagues in the Senate and the House to fix the abortion coverage language so that women do not lose current benefits, she said."