Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) delivered the following statement regarding the Republicans most recent attempt to restrict a woman's right to abortion services:

"Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 7, the so-called No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. The name of this bill is a lie. There is now no taxpayer funding for abortion. I wish there were.

"The right of a woman to decide whether to become pregnant, to decide to continue her pregnancy, or even to make the difficult decision to terminate her pregnancy, is protected by the Constitution.  The Supreme Court has determined that neither Congress nor a state may place an ‘undue burden’ on that right. Denial of Medicaid or other government funding that would be available for other medical procedures should be considered an “undue burden.”

"But that is not the law, unfortunately. Taxpayer funding of abortion is prohibited by the Hyde Amendment. This bill goes far beyond that.

"This bill – for the first time ever – denies tax deductions and credits for women who use their own money to pay for abortions or to purchase insurance that covers abortions. In so doing, the Republican majority increases taxes for women and families.

"This bill – for the first time – denies the itemized medical tax deduction that is otherwise available for medical expenses, if the medical expense is for an abortion. This bill – for the first time – treats as taxable income any distribution from a flexible spending account or a health savings account that is used to pay for abortion expenses.  This bill – for the first time – denies small employers the ability to use tax credits to help them provide health coverage for their employees, if that coverage includes abortion.  The bill also denies income-eligible women the use of premium tax credits available under the Affordable Care Act, if the insurance coverage they select includes abortion coverage.

"In first opposing, and then voting to repeal, the Affordable Care Act 50 times my Republican colleagues have complained that government should not meddle in the private insurance market, or in private health care choices.  But this legislation, obviously, is designed to do just that.  It seems that many Republicans believe in freedom – provided no one uses that freedom in a way that they do not approve.  That is a strange understanding of freedom.

"Even more stunning, this bill increases taxes on families, businesses, and the self-employed if they spend their own money – let me repeat that:  their own money – on abortion coverage or services.  And this tax increase is being championed by Republicans, almost all of whom have taken a pledge not to raise taxes on individuals or businesses.

"The intent of this bill is clear:  it is to end insurance coverage for abortions for all women, whether or not they obtain their insurance on an exchange, and even if they use their own money to purchase the insurance. 

"My colleagues in the majority believe that if you like your insurance coverage, you should get to keep it, unless it is for choices that they don’t like. Then, they have no qualms about taking your coverage away.

"That is the intended and likely result of this bill. Currently, the vast majority of insurance policies cover abortion services.  But insurance companies will respond to the tax penalties this bill imposes by dropping coverage for abortions from all of their plans.  This will have a significant impact on all women, not just lower- income women who have long felt the brunt of federal restrictions on their health care choices.

"H.R. 7 is a radical departure from current tax treatment of medical expenses and insurance coverage; and it is neither justifiable nor necessary to prevent Federal funding of abortion. It is a frontal assault on the liberty and dignity of all American women. It should be roundly rejected."