U.S. House Passes “No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act” in Bipartisan Vote

Earlier this week, in a 238-183 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7 – the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act. This is a significant, bipartisan step forward for the pro-life movement and toward protecting the sanctity of every single human life. H.R. 7 is the formal codification of the Hyde Amendment, which first passed in 1976 as a rider to appropriations bills to prohibit taxpayer dollars from being used to directly fund abortions.

As we’ve explained before, “the Hyde Amendment is named after one of its biggest advocates, the late congressman Henry Hyde. The amendment prohibits federal funding of abortions, and as a rider to the HHS appropriations bill, must be passed each year.”

For the last 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has passed, in various forms, in a bipartisan manner. It prevents your taxpayer money from being used to pay for abortion services, except in the exceedingly rare cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother. In short, the Hyde Amendment has worked to keep us, the taxpayers, from paying for abortions.

The bill passed by the House of Representatives this week takes the same requirements and makes them permanent and government wide, thus eliminating the need for a vote every year and ensuring the Hyde Amendment covers any bill that could provide taxpayer funds that could be used for abortion. It’s not surprising that the House was able to pass H.R. 7, as some form of the Hyde Amendment has passed every year – in a bipartisan manner – for the last 40 years.

However, the fight for this legislation continues, as it must now pass the Senate. If H.R. 7 successfully passes the Senate, the White House has already issued a statement saying that if President Trump is presented with the current version of H.R. 7, he will sign it into law.

This should not be a controversial bill. It has received bipartisan support each and every year as a rider. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that it should not become the law of the land. Yet the pro-abortion Left is forcefully opposing it, and in fact advocating for the removal of the Hyde Amendment altogether. This despite the fact that a strong majority of the American People oppose their tax dollars being spent on abortion.

This is the next step in ultimately defunding the abortion industry completely, ensuring our taxpayer money is used for community health centers that actually provide comprehensive health care for women and children instead of merely providing more abortions than any other entity in the United States. Click here to read our breakdown of how we can fully defund Planned Parenthood.

We have momentum. President Trump reinstated the Mexico City Policy to ban taxpayer funding for abortions overseas through foreign aid. Investigative journalists have uncovered the lie that Planned Parenthood prominently provides prenatal services.

Now is the time to do everything you can to defund Planned Parenthood. Let your voice be heard, and take action on behalf of those unborn babies who cannot speak for themselves.