Good news everyone. The House of Representatives is back to work, focusing on what's really important -- abortion.
The House is scheduled to vote this week on a new bill that would allow federally-funded hospitals that oppose abortions to refuse to perform the procedure, even in cases where a woman would die without it.
Under current law, every hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid money is legally required to provide emergency care to any patient in need, regardless of his or her financial situation. If a hospital is unable to provide what the patient needs — including a life-saving abortion — it has to transfer the patient to a hospital that can.
Under H.R. 358, dubbed the “Protect Life Act” and sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), hospitals that don’t want to provide abortions could refuse to do so, even for a pregnant woman with a life-threatening complication that requires a doctor terminate her pregnancy.
The Protect Life Act?
I guess we're suppose to protect one life by ending another.
As ThinkProgress notes, H.R. 358 would also once again prevent any federally subsidized healthcare plans from covering abortion. Something which the Republicans have been already voted to pass at least 3 or 4 times by my count over the last year.
Current law already prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion, but the Republicans are trying to go beyond the Hyde Amendment by using carefully crafted language to punish poor women. The poor are the primary recipients of federally subsidized healthcare plans.
It baffles me why the Republicans are trying so hard to usher in even more unwanted or dependent, poverty-stricken children who they will go out of their way to ensure don't have a chance in life by de-funding their education and their healthcare.