On Roe anniversary, abortion protesters target healthcare law

The first GOP bill, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, seeks to establish a permanent, governmentwide prohibition on federal subsidies for abortion and for healthcare plans that cover abortion. It would make permanent the so-called Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding but currently must be reintroduced every year.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, is a priority for the GOP. It will be numbered H.R. 3, coming right after the healthcare reform repeal bill that passed the House last week.

Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) has also introduced the Protect Life Act, which seeks to rewrite provisions of the healthcare reform law to ensure it does not allow for taxpayer funding of abortion. The bill is modeled after an amendment to the House reform bill introduced by former Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) that didn’t make it into the final law.

Finally, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) has a bill that seeks to ensure that tax dollars are not sent to abortion providers under Title X family planning grants.