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Quigley Fights Anti-Choice Bill

March 3, 2011

Introduces amendment to highlight unprecedented invasion into private insurance

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) introduced an amendment to prevent a far-reaching anti-choice bill from going into effect until the executive branch certifies that it will not affect the availability of abortion care in the private insurance market.

"H.R. 3 is a Trojan horse," said Quigley. "This bill's true aim is not to prevent federal funds from paying for abortion coverage, but to cut off women's access to comprehensive health care by discouraging – and ultimately eliminating – abortion coverage in private insurance."

H.R. 3 – the misleadingly named No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act – would eliminate tax deductions for individuals who purchase insurance plans that include abortion coverage, create tax penalties for small business that offer plans that include abortion, and forbid plans that include abortion from covering anyone who receives a federal subsidy.

A George Washington University Medical Center study recently found that H.R. 3 could have an "industry-wide effect," eventually eliminating abortion coverage for all women. Currently, 87 percent of private, employer-provided insurance plans cover abortion services.

The Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Obama last March, allows insurers to offer abortion coverage and accept federal subsidies for premiums with a specific provision to keep abortion payments separate, making H.R. 3 unnecessary.

Quigley's amendment failed during a Judiciary Committee Markup of H.R. 3.

Quigley has spoken out against a slew of anti-choice measures in the 111th and 112th Congress. He was one of the only men to oppose the Stupak Amendment during the health care reform debate and last month spoke on the House floor about the importance of Title X and Planned Parenthood.

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