Women and Families: H.R.7 Would Punish Low-Income Women by Making Hyde Policy Permanent

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The National Partnership for Women and Families issued the following statement by President Debra L. Ness on H.R.7:

"The U.S. House of Representatives prioritized politics over women's health today by passing H.R.7, the 'No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017,' which would make the harmful Hyde amendment permanent. Mere weeks into the new Congress and already we've seen extremist leaders hell bent on taking away women's health care by working toward repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and defunding Planned Parenthood and now - just days after the historic Women's March - this effort to make the punitive Hyde Amendment permanent.

"Forty years of the Hyde Amendment is 40 years of a shameful, callous public policy that pushes women deeper into poverty and exacerbates health disparities. H.R.7 is deceptive, politically motivated and dangerous to women. Attempts to make Hyde permanent are attempts to cut off access to abortion care for low-income women, women of color and young people.

"The legislation that passed the House is all about making abortion less accessible to all women. We need leaders in Congress who understand that the well-being and economic security of women depends, in many ways, on their freedom to plan if and when to have children. We strongly urge the Senate to reject this dangerous, anti-woman legislation."

The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, access to quality health care and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family. More information is available at www.NationalPartnership.org.

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