It’s a small victory in an uphill battle. The GOP has, under pressure from feminist outcry and activism — like the #DearJohn campaign — agreed to drop the “forcible” rape language in the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion bill (HR3).

The aide to Chris Smith, the dickbag Representative who introduced this bill, said:

“The word forcible will be replaced with the original language from the Hyde Amendment,” Jeff Sagnip, spokesman for bill sponsor Chris Smith (R-N.J.), said. One senior GOP aide told Huddle it’s a no-brainer to get rid of the modifier. “Such a removal would be a good idea, since last I checked, rape by definition is non-consensual,” the aide said.

Don’t you love how quickly he backpedals?!

There’s no doubt about it: this is a victory for all the feminists who stood their ground and made sure their voices were heard. BUT, this bill STILL BLOWS. It not only keeps legal abortion out of reach for poor women, but it also penalizes those with private insurance under the new health exchange.

The National Women’s Law Center explains:

H.R. 3 purports to be a ban on federal funding for abortion.  This ban is punitive and terrible, to be sure, but H.R. 3 goes much, much further than that.  The bill would also impose tax penalties on individuals and small businesses with insurance plans that include abortion.  That’s right.  Tax penalties.  As in, people with insurance plans that cover abortion would have to pay higher taxes than people whose health plans don’t.  Yep – you heard it right.  If your insurance plan covers abortion – even if you never knew it, and even if you never used it – you could face a tax penalty.  Depending on what kinds of tax benefits you’re eligible for, it could be substantial.

So what would this mean for a real family?  Take a father of three working as an assembly lineman who loses his job when his manufacturing plant closes.  Right now, he’s eligible for the Health Coverage Tax Credit to help with the costs of his $13,770 premium.  But, because his insurance plan included coverage of abortion—even though he never knew about this benefit and no one in his family ever used it—H.R. 3 would suddenly make him ineligible for the benefit and would cost him $11,236.

Other tax benefits are on the line, too.  Right now, a woman who makes $25,000 is eligible to deduct any amount over $1,875 she spends on health expenses, including her insurance premiums, from her taxable income.  If H.R. 3 were enacted and her health insurance plan includes coverage of abortion, she would lose a $1,731 deduction.  More than 7.5 million families claim this particular medical expense deductions—and each of them would lose the deduction if their plan covers abortion.

So, please keep on your Representatives to reject this bill! Speaker John Boehner has promised to make this bill the highest priority, so your voice needs to be heard!

You can look up your Rep and contact him/her here. Go, do it! Now!

Categories: Politics

Tags: Abortion, Chris Smith, GOP, Hyde Amendment, Insurance, John Boehner, National Women's Law Center, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, Rape, Republican