The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in favor of permanently banning taxpayer funding of abortion.
The House voted 238 to 183 yesterday (January 24) in favor of codifying the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment prohibits taxpayer money from going to fund abortion. It is already in place, but has to be renewed every year. If passed, the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act (HR 7) would ensure that taxpayers will never be forced to fund abortion.
According to LifeSiteNews.com, the bill was introduced by Chris Smith (R-NJ).
Since it was instituted in 1976, three years after Roe v. Wade, the Hyde Amendment has saved over two million lives, according to an estimate from the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
The bill would also ensure that taxpayers do not have to fund abortion via their healthcare. The Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, has sparked controversy for that very reason, most notably in the cases of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Little Sisters of the Poor v. Burwell.
According to a 2017 Marist poll, the majority of Americans (61 percent) do not support tax dollars going to fund abortion.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) called the bill a “common-sense measure.” Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) said it made her “heartsick” to hear some of her colleagues celebrating abortion in the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and stressed the need to protect life.
The White House also said it supports the bill, saying in a statement that "the Administration strongly supports H.R. 7...if the President were presented with H.R. 7 in its present form, he would sign the bill."
Many Democrats in the House, however, pushed back against the effort, arguing that Obamacare does not include funding for abortion.
The bill will now go to the Senate.
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: January 25, 2017
