By tying ACA negotiations to an expanded Hyde Amendment, Republicans are attempting an end-run around state protections to impose a de facto national abortion ban.
Millions are on the brink of seeing the costs of their health insurance skyrocket if Congress fails to extend the ACA tax credits due to expire Dec. 31. Now, Republicans are seeking to use the debate over the tax credits to pursue what Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has warned is a “national backdoor abortion ban” by expanding the scope of the Hyde Amendment.
Since 1977, the Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of federal funds for abortion except under limited exceptions for cases where the life of the woman is in danger, or in cases of rape or incest. But opponents of abortion in Congress want to prohibit ACA marketplace plans from covering abortion even in states where abortion remains legal. This means that even if a state requires insurance plans to cover abortion, and uses its own funds to do so, federal law would block it. Private insurance plans sold through the ACA marketplace would also be impacted. A vote on the issue is set for this week.
And as we reported this week, the Trump administration’s pardoning of antiabortion extremists and refusal to enforce the Freedom to Access Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act is emboldening antiabortion organizing across the U.S. In Memphis, Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry is launching a new facility that will serve as the location of a training camp. Terry is teaming up with antiabortion extremist group PAAU to kick off “Rescue Resurrection,” a series of trainings and events starting last week. Their stated goal is to revive large-scale clinic blockades, a strategy employed extensively by Operation Rescue in the late 1980s and early ’90s.
In other health news, we’re also keeping an eye on the dangerous and deadly vaccine recommendations coming out of RFK Jr.’s handpicked Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which Friday moved to eliminate the universal recommendation of hepatitis B vaccines at birth. The committee is set to “question how pediatricians inoculate children against more than a dozen other infectious diseases, including measles, mumps, whooping cough and polio,” per NPR. Public health experts expressed fear that the rollback of vaccine requirements will result in a resurgence of many preventable diseases—with deadly consequences. Former FDA officials and physicians organizations are urging parents to talk with their pediatricians in making these life-and-death health decisions.
The ongoing attacks on the healthcare system extend beyond the CDC. Last week, the Department of Education proposed reclassifying all graduate nursing degrees as “non-professional”—a move that will strip away access to loans for students in a profession dominated by women. This includes students in programs training nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists—the advanced practice roles that keep rural, poor and underserved communities alive. The message behind the policy is unmistakable: Women’s knowledge is not worth investing in. Their labor is not worth rewarding.
Whether it’s through flashy policy changes that draw headlines, or quieter bureaucratic shifts and provisions tacked on to spending bills that largely go unnoticed, the Trump administration is making the U.S. a more dangerous place for women and children. We cannot afford to look away or be silent. Too many lives depend on it.
Look to these trusted groups if you or a loved one needs to know more about reliable abortion care:
Great Job Kathy Spillar & the Team @ Ms. Magazine Source link for sharing this story.
