WASHINGTON—Today, the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) released the following statement in support of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act (the EACH Woman Act). The bill, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Diana DeGette, would ensure health coverage of abortion for every woman regardless of her income, how she is insured or where she lives, and it will end the Hyde Amendment polices that place restrictions on women’s rights.
“We applaud the leadership of Reps. Lee, Schakowsky and DeGette for introducing this bill,” said NHeLP executive director Elizabeth G. Taylor. “This bill guarantees the protections provided decades ago in Roe v. Wade and ensures that low-income women will have the ability to make decisions about their health.”
If passed, the legislation would remove the Hyde Amendment and other bans on abortion coverage for women who get their health insurance through the government and prohibit political interference in decisions by private health insurance companies to offer coverage for abortion care.
“The ability of a woman to determine whether and when to become a parent is her personal decision, not the government’s or her health insurance provider’s,” said Susan Berke Fogel, director of reproductive health at NHeLP. “The Hyde Amendment tramples on women’s rights, and Congress must act now to pass the EACH Woman Act to ensure that women are treated with dignity.”
The bill is supported by 70 members of Congress, and has won the support of 33 national and state organizations.
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