Help Stop the Attack on Women's Health and Rights!

On May 5, 2011, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (S. 906), a copycat bill based on the recently passed House bill of the same name (H.R. 3). “It is time for a single, government-wide prohibition on abortion funding,” Senator Wicker announced.

This bill is a sweeping intrusion into the rights and personal lives of women. It would make life harder for the many women and families already struggling to make ends meet. It would deny women the ability to make their own decisions about whether and when to have a family.

Every woman, whether she is enrolled in a safety net health program like Medicaid, or has other health insurance coverage, should be able to take care of her health and make important decisions, based on her circumstances and her family’s needs.

The bill would put up new, dangerous roadblocks to make it more difficult than ever for a woman to obtain a safe, legal abortion. It would:

• -- Permanently restrict abortion coverage in the federal Medicaid health program, worsening the effects on women of the damaging Hyde Amendment
• -- Permanently reinstate the ban on abortion coverage in the District of Columbia, preventing D.C. from using its own locally raised tax revenues to provide abortion care
• -- Force more women than ever to use money they need for rent and food to cover the cost of an abortion
• -- Deny abortion funding in cases where continuing the pregnancy could permanently damage women’s health, for example, when a pregnant woman needs treatment for cancer
• -- Push women to risk their lives and health in order to end a pregnancy if they cannot find an affordable abortion
• -- Ban abortion coverage in the new health care exchanges and drive up the cost of health care by imposing new taxes on employers and individuals who pay for abortion coverage through health plans

Our laws should NOT force women to choose between the basic necessities of life and the ability to have an abortion. Our laws should not jeopardize the health and future of women and families, especially those who are already suffering the most during this economic crisis.

Help STOP S. 906 in its tracks! Send a message to let your Senators know you oppose this dangerous bill!