(Washington, D.C.): Joined by Republican Representatives Fitzpatrick, Mackenzie, Bresnahan and Lawler, the discharge petition for House Minority Leader Jeffries’s plan has met the 218-signature threshold, forcing a House floor vote. Jeffries’s plan for a “clean,” three-year extension of the premium ACA subsidies does not include any provision preventing healthcare spending on elective abortion, despite long-standing, bipartisan support from the public on Hyde protections for American tax dollars.
John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life (AUL), emphasized, “We strongly oppose any healthcare plan, including this so-called ‘clean’ extension, that does not include Hyde. Republicans defecting from party leadership believe they are protecting their seats and the GOP majority for the upcoming midterm elections, but they are actually risking an apathetic turnout from a pro-life base that is unimpressed by their performance in the last term. Compromising on the most popular pro-life policy in history is not a sound strategy.”
AUL Director of Government Affairs, Bradley Kehr, added, “Obamacare still represents the largest ever expansion of taxpayer funding for elective abortion. Passed without bipartisan support, it used legislative gimmicks to avoid Hyde protections, which, conversely, have had bipartisan support since 1976. It is utterly unacceptable for elected representatives of any party to force Americans to support the termination of our nation’s children, let alone using our taxpayer dollars.”
For more information or to arrange an interview with AUL, contact Gavin Oxley at press@aul.org or 202-987-3321.
Since 1971, Americans United for Life (AUL) has advanced the human right to life in culture, law, and policy by equipping advocates and lawmakers with the facts and strategies that change hearts and minds and protect human life. The first national pro-life organization in the country, AUL is a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
