AUL

Yoest on New CRS Memo: Congress must explicitly prohibit taxpayer-funded abortionShareThisBy AUL Action
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
“The new Memorandum from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service affirms Americans United for Life’s legal analysis – nothing in the new health care reform law, the President’s executive order, or any existing laws comprehensively prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars for abortions. It is time for Congress to do what they should have done in March – pass a law that explicitly prohibits the use of all federal taxpayer dollars for abortion.”

– Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President & CEO of Americans United for Life Action

BACKGROUND

On July 23, 2010, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a memorandum addressing whether the new health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), prohibits states from using federal funds for abortions in new pre-existing condition insurance plans also known as high risk pools. The memorandum also addresses whether the President’s March 24, 2010 Executive Order or other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) documents prohibit the use of these funds for abortions. Finally, the memorandum addresses whether other existing laws, such as the Hyde Amendment, would prohibit such funding.

The CRS reached the same conclusion that Americans United for Life reached both during and after the health care reform debate: nothing in the PPACA, the Executive Order, or other law prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for abortions through the high risk pools.