[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E859-E860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 4, 2011

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to 
H.R. 3 and the ongoing Republican war against women's health care in 
America. H.R. 3 continues the Tea Party Republican's extreme social 
agenda to pursue unprecedented attacks on women's health and economic 
security.
  The Republican majority passed H.R. 1 and slashed billions of dollars 
from programs that allow women to provide and care for their families 
such as Head Start, Women, infants and children (WIC), Community 
Service Block Grants (CSBG), and the Maternal and Child Block Grant. 
Clearly their efforts targeted vulnerable women and their children--
people who do not have high-paid, high-powered lobbyists, as the 
victims of budget cuts.
  Their bill H.R. 2 repealed the Affordable Care Act, which ensures 
women have greater access to affordable health coverage and recommended 
preventative care. The Republican repeal of the Affordable Care Act 
would strip 32 million Americans of health insurance coverage, again 
making families vulnerable.
  Now, H.R. 3 seeks to place unprecedented restrictions on a woman's 
ability to receive and pay for a legal medical procedure. This 
Republican bill places the federal government directly between a woman 
and her doctor.
  H.R. 3 is not about ``codifying the Hyde Amendment'' as my colleagues 
have stated. Federal law already prohibits even a single federal dollar 
from being used to pay for abortion services, except in the cases of 
rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Instead, this 
legislation furthers a radical agenda that seeks to limit a woman's 
right to access comprehensive reproductive medical care.
  Exploiting the federal tax code for ideological purposes, this bill 
enacts new restrictions on a woman's ability to pay for legal medical 
services with private insurance, a health savings account, or private 
funds. A responsible small business owner that includes comprehensive 
reproductive care in their company's insurance policy will be denied 
their federal health care tax credit. A survivor of rape or incest may 
have to prove to an IRS agent with a detailed account of her 
brutalization in order to use her health savings account to pay for the 
procedure or qualify for an itemized medical deduction on her taxes.

[[Page E860]]

  These restrictions allow politicians and IRS bureaucrats to influence 
medical decisions that should be made by a woman, her physician, 
family, and often with support and guidance from a spiritual leader. I 
strongly oppose any effort in Congress that creates government 
interference with private decisions that should be made between a 
doctor and a patient. I strongly oppose this war on women in America 
that threatens our freedoms and our rights.
  Instead of focusing on this divisive agenda, we should be focusing on 
policies that will improve the lives of America's women and girls such 
as addressing the quality of women's health care, fighting gender 
discrimination, increasing economic opportunities, and providing them 
with the education and support to succeed.
  I encourage my colleagues to oppose this bill and fight to keep safe, 
comprehensive reproductive and family planning services accessible to 
all Americans.

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