As abortion proponents prefer to phrase it, the House Judiciary Committee’s all-male, 13-member Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice – try saying that before the signal light changes – met this morning in Washington.
“The No Taxpayer-Funding for Abortion Act,” known as House Resolution or H.R. 7, was the central focus of the hearing.
Culver City’s delegate to Congress, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, an ardent abortion supporter, was fuming in the aftermath.
[img]1857|right|Karen Bass||no_popup[/img]In addition to banning insurance coverage for abortion in all of Obamacare’s new state-level insurance marketplaces, H.R. 7 would also reach into Americans’ private insurance plans,” the liberal site thinkprogress.org reported. “It would force small businesses to pay additional taxes on their health benefits if they offer their employees a plan that covers abortion. It would also eliminate medical-expense deductions for abortion care, except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment — an update to the tax code that the IRS would be forced to figure out how to implement. NARAL Pro-Choice America points out that the IRS would be empowered to make the final decision about what ‘counts’ as rape or incest, essentially conducting an audit of victims to ensure they’re not committing fraud.”
“Here we go again,” said the irate Ms. Bass. “Instead of House Republicans focusing on ways to help the American people—by either raising the minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits, or passing comprehensive immigration reform—the men of the House Judiciary Committee have made it their priority to tell American women that they know best what they should do with their bodies, instead of ensuring this decision is between a woman and her doctor.
“If passed,” Ms. Bass said, “this legislation would deny abortion coverage to the 9.7 million women who are currently enrolled in Medicaid. It also would deny abortion coverage to up to 4.6 million more women who will become subject to the original abortion coverage ban if all the states take up the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.”
The second-term Democrat also complained about the gentlemens’ treatment of her friend Rep. Eleran Holms Norton (D-D.C.).
“I was troubled that the Subcommittee denied her the ability to testify,” Ms. Bass said. “This legislation will have a dramatic impact on her constituents who live in the District of Columbia. Shutting off her voice is an egregious abuse of the majority power.”
