House Dems to push Pelosi for vote on bill that would allow federal funding of abortion

Abortion rights leaders in Congress will ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to hold a vote on a bill that would allow abortion coverage to receive federal funding. 

The bill would repeal a long-standing ban on abortion coverage in federal health programs like Medicaid. 

{mosads}”It’s just important as we move forward that we pass legislation that honors women’s reproductive health and their decisions rather than punishing poor women and federal employees,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), a sponsor of the bill and co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus. 

Pelosi hasn’t said if she will call the bill for a vote on the floor, but she supports expanding access to abortion. 

DeGette said she will ask Pelosi about holding committee and floor votes on the bill.

The Hyde Amendment, which bans abortion coverage in federal health insurance programs, was first attached to a spending bill in 1976. It has been upheld every year since, blocking Medicaid, the Indian Health Service, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program from funding abortions. 

Democrats argue that the ban disproportionately impacts low-income women who rely on Medicaid for health care. 

The bill likely won’t pass the Senate, where Republicans have a majority, but if it gets a vote in the lower chamber, it would mark the first time the House has ever voted to repeal the Hyde Amendment.