By — Corinne Segal Corinne Segal Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/house-passes-new-abortion-restrictions-last-minute-changes Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter House passes new abortion restrictions after last-minute changes Nation Jan 22, 2015 5:37 PM EDT The House of Representatives approved new abortion restrictions today on the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court verdict in Roe v. Wade that legalized the procedure. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2015, which passed 242-179, bars the use of federal money for abortions or for insurance plans that cover abortions. It would have codified the Hyde Amendment, which has acted as a rider to other existing bills since 1976. The vote came as anti-abortion advocates demonstrated outside the Capitol on Thursday for the annual March for Life. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) criticized the bill’s focus on federal funds, saying it was an unnecessary focus of debate: “Give me one example where federal taxpayer dollars have been used to pay for abortions. I haven’t heard that example, and it’s because it’s not happening. This is a false issue that’s being raised. So I would submit to everybody here, let’s stop talking about this false issue just because there are a whole bunch of people in town who want us to pass some legislation. Let’s talk about some real issues.” The new measure replaces a bill that the House dropped last night after it fell short of votes. That bill would have banned abortions after 20 weeks and mandated that rape survivors report their assault to the police in order to receive an exception. Female GOP leaders opposed the bill, saying the exception clause was too limited (according to RAINN, 68 percent of sexual assaults go unreported), and Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) withdrew their co-sponsorship of the bill last week. The White House had released a statement saying the legislation “disregarded women’s health and rights.” It also would have prevented abortion for some high-risk pregnancies, since doctors normally test for fetal abnormalities at between 14 and 20 weeks. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told The Hill that House Republicans would continue to pursue the post-20-week ban on abortion. The Senate has not yet voted on the measure, and the White House has said Obama would veto it. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Corinne Segal Corinne Segal Corinne is the Senior Multimedia Web Editor for NewsHour Weekend. She serves on the advisory board for VIDA: Women in Literary Arts. @cesegal
The House of Representatives approved new abortion restrictions today on the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court verdict in Roe v. Wade that legalized the procedure. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2015, which passed 242-179, bars the use of federal money for abortions or for insurance plans that cover abortions. It would have codified the Hyde Amendment, which has acted as a rider to other existing bills since 1976. The vote came as anti-abortion advocates demonstrated outside the Capitol on Thursday for the annual March for Life. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) criticized the bill’s focus on federal funds, saying it was an unnecessary focus of debate: “Give me one example where federal taxpayer dollars have been used to pay for abortions. I haven’t heard that example, and it’s because it’s not happening. This is a false issue that’s being raised. So I would submit to everybody here, let’s stop talking about this false issue just because there are a whole bunch of people in town who want us to pass some legislation. Let’s talk about some real issues.” The new measure replaces a bill that the House dropped last night after it fell short of votes. That bill would have banned abortions after 20 weeks and mandated that rape survivors report their assault to the police in order to receive an exception. Female GOP leaders opposed the bill, saying the exception clause was too limited (according to RAINN, 68 percent of sexual assaults go unreported), and Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) withdrew their co-sponsorship of the bill last week. The White House had released a statement saying the legislation “disregarded women’s health and rights.” It also would have prevented abortion for some high-risk pregnancies, since doctors normally test for fetal abnormalities at between 14 and 20 weeks. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told The Hill that House Republicans would continue to pursue the post-20-week ban on abortion. The Senate has not yet voted on the measure, and the White House has said Obama would veto it. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now